Ukraine crisis: Respect sovereignty, says Modi at Quad meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy in dealing with the Ukraine crisis during a virtual meeting of Quad leaders.

Besides Modi, the meeting was attended by United States President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.

"Developments in Ukraine were discussed in the meeting, including its humanitarian implications. The prime minister emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," an official statement said.

In his remarks, Modi also reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The meeting reviewed the progress on Quad's initiatives since the summit talks in September.

"The leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year," the statement said.

It said Modi underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

"He called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like humanitarian and disaster relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building," it said.

The leaders also discussed other topical issues, including the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands.

"The leaders agreed to stay in touch and to work towards an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming Leaders' Summit in Japan," the statement said.