Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the efforts made by United States President Donald Trump towards resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and reiterated India's position that the conflict should be resolved on the negotiating table.
He also reiterated that India's stance in the conflict is not neutral, but rather it is on the side of peace.
The PM emphasised that he has himself met leaders of both Russia and Ukraine and also pointed to his 'this is not an era of war' remark that he made in the presence of Russian President Putin.
"I have always been in close contact with Russia and Ukraine. I have met the leaders of both countries. Many people are in a misconception that India is neutral, but I want to reiterate that India is not neutral; we are on a side, and that is peace," Modi said in a joint presser on Thursday.
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He further reiterated India's position that a solution to the conflict can't be found on the battlefield, and also appreciated the efforts of Trump in the directions.
"I have said that 'this is not a time of war' in front of the media when President Putin was with me. Even today, my conviction is that the solutions to war cannot be found on the battlefield, and ultimately, we have to be at the table," Modi said.
India believes that the solution to the war can be found only when the issue is discussed in a forum where both countries (Russia and Ukraine) will be present. The efforts made by President Trump - I support, and welcome it. I hope he succeeds as soon as possible," he added.
Earlier, during the bilateral meeting as well, Modi stressed the need for both parties, Russia and Ukraine, to come up on the negotiating table.
"As far as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is concerned, I am very happy that President Trump has taken initiatives to restore peace and had telephone calls with President Putin and President Zelenskyy. The world had this thinking that somehow, it is a neutral country in this whole process but this is not true. India has a side and it is of peace. From the very first day I have been talking about the importance of dialogue and diplomacy and a peaceful solution," PM Modi said in his remarks," the Prime Minister said.
"When I met President Putin, in the presence of media, I had told that this is not the era of war and I have firm conviction that problems cannot be solved on the battlefield. The two sides will have to come to the negotiating table. We support every effort done to bring peace, we support all," he added.
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