The US once again welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand on the ongoing Ukraine war, which calls for an end to all kinds of violence and the pursuit of the path of diplomacy.
It also said that the US would take PM Modi at his words, hours after the Indian prime minister spoke to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation.
“We would take PM Modi at his words and welcome those comments when they took place. Other countries will make their own decision on engagement with Russia. We continue to coordinate with allies to mitigate impacts of war,” US State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a press conference, according to news agency ANI.
Patel made these remarks in response to a question on PM Modi’s call to end the war.
PM Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy as “the only way” forward to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
The two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation in areas of energy, trade and defence during a telephonic conversation.
When asked about India’s role in stopping the Russia-Ukraine war, the State Department spokesperson said, “Any country that’s interested in engaging in peace and interested in ending this (Russia-Ukraine) war must do so in close partnership with Ukrainian partners.”
The State Department’s statement came hours after PM Modi had a telephone conversation today with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
A Russian readout said Putin gave “fundamental assessments of Russia’s line on the Ukrainian direction at the request of Modi”. The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said Modi briefed the Russian President on India’s ongoing Presidency of the G-20, highlighting its key priorities.
It was the fifth telephonic talk between the two leaders this year. They held phone conversations on February 24, March 2, March 7 and July 1.
Modi and Putin held a bilateral meeting in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand on September 16 during which the Prime Minister told him that “today’s era is not of war” and nudged the Russian leader to end the conflict.
“In the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward,” it said.
The phone conversation came days after it emerged that Modi will not be travelling to Russia for the annual India-Russia summit this year.
“At the request of Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin gave fundamental assessments of Russia’s line in the Ukrainian direction,” the statement said.
New Delhi has not yet criticised Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and it has been pressing for resolving the conflict through dialogue.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Russia last month during which both sides vowed to expand their economic engagement including New Delhi’s import of petroleum products from its “time-tested” partner.
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