India joins global meet on Ukraine, day after PM Modi calls for dialogue, diplomacy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Pope Francis, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and other world leaders before concluding his day-long visit to Italy to attend the outreach session of 50th G7 Summit, in Apulia on Friday. ANI

In her statement Saturday at the start of the summit, President Amherd underlined “nuclear safety, food security and the humanitarian dimension” as the three topics of discussion.

With Zelenskyy by her side, she said, “Countries that have experienced conflicts such as these themselves can contribute their experiences here… It is important that the conference on peace in Ukraine is taking place and that it has found so much high ranking, broad support. This weekend, all participating states will be able to contribute their perspectives and ideas as to how a process for peace and dialogue can be shaped.”

Describing the Russia-Ukraine war as “unprovoked”, Zelenskyy said, “The representation at the summit is unprecedented. All parts of the world, all continents, different nations, both large and small geographically, and every political pole of our world – Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, Africa, Europe, the Pacific, Australia, North America – are all represented at the summit.”

“The views, the ideas and the leadership of each nation are equally important to us, and whatever is agreed upon at the summit today will be part of the peacemaking process and the restoration of the UN Charter’s full force that we all need. I believe we will see history being made here at the summit,” he said.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on February 24, 2022, is in its third year now, with no end in sight.

About 100 delegations are attending the summit, including 57 heads of state and government from around the world. While Russia is not part of the summit, US President Joe Biden, who attended the G7 summit in Italy, has sent Vice President Kamala Harris.

On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would end the war only if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over four provinces claimed by Moscow – demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender.

Putin’s conditions reflected Moscow’s growing confidence that its forces have the upper hand in the war.

China’s absence, at the request of Moscow, has also cast a shadow on the conference. Zelenskyy has accused Beijing of helping Moscow undermine the gathering, an accusation China’s Foreign Ministry rejected.

A day before the conference, Prime Minister Modi met Zelenskyy and reiterated that New Delhi would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution.

“Had a very productive meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. India is eager to further cement bilateral relations with Ukraine. Regarding the ongoing hostilities, reiterated that India believes in a human-centric approach and believes that the way to peace is through dialogue and diplomacy,” Modi said.

The MEA said they also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and the Summit on Peace being hosted by Switzerland.

The Ukraine President’s office, in a statement, had said, “Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Narendra Modi on his winning the elections and wished the Indian people peace and prosperity… During the meeting, the leaders discussed the development of bilateral relations and the possibility of exchanging experience in the use of new technologies in agriculture.

The President spoke about the functioning of the Black Sea transport corridor, which makes it possible to increase exports of sunflower oil to India and turnover of other categories of goods.”

“The Head of State (Zelenskyy) informed on the preparations to the Global Peace Summit and thanked the Prime Minister of India for the expected presence of the high-level delegation at the event. The leaders discussed the agenda of the Summit,” it had said.

India, which has strategic ties with Moscow and huge dependence on Russia for defence supplies, decided to send a Secretary-level official for the conference. Ever since the war began, India has also been buying Russian oil at discounted prices to cushion the inflationary impact of rising oil prices.

Earlier, Zelenskyy had sought India’s support on his 10-point “peace formula” calling for withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, release of prisoners, restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and guarantees on nuclear safety, food and energy security.

India has sent 15 consignments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. These weighed about 117 metric tonnes and included medicines, medical equipment, blankets, tents, tarpaulin, solar lamps, dignity kits, sleeping mats, and diesel generator sets. India has also provided financial assistance for reconstruction of a school in Kyiv and funded training of teachers.

India has maintained a diplomatic balancing act between Russia and Ukraine. While India has not explicitly condemned the Russian invasion, it has called for an international probe into the Bucha massacre and expressed concern over nuclear threats issued by Russian leaders. At the UNSC, India has taken a nuanced position and abstained from voting against Russia on several resolutions.