Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that New Delhi stands ready to support all genuine efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Ukraine conflict.
“We firmly believe that this is not just a political or economic issue, but above all a humanitarian issue. The effects of the ongoing conflict have affected the developing world the most,” the Indian Prime Minister told Greek newspaper Kathimerini in an interview during his official visit to Athens last week, which was published on Monday.
“India has the will and ability to pursue its national interests for the benefit of its people and the maintenance of international peace and security,” Modi said.
The Indian PM reiterated that New Delhi has consistently backed “diplomacy and dialogue” as means to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
India’s Mediation Efforts in Ukraine Crisis
The Indian Prime Minister met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Samarkand last September, which is the only meeting between the two leaders since Moscow’s special military pperation began last February.
According to a statement made by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi called for "early cessation of hostilities and the need for dialogue and diplomacy”.
New Delhi has significantly ramped up its crude supplies from Moscow since last year, with Russia now ranking as India’s top crude supplier, as per official data.
Modi told the G7 Summit in Germany last year that importing crude from Moscow in the interest of India’s energy security.
In May this year, the Indian PM also held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the margins of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima.
Modi told the Ukrainian President that the spillover effects of the Ukraine conflict have been severe for the developing countries, according to Indian officials.
Significantly, New Delhi has chosen to keep the Ukraine issue out of its G20 agenda during its ongoing presidency and has resisted west-backed calls to invite Zelensky to the upcoming summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September.