Indian flag becomes my guarantee

PM Modi on his intervention to bring back Indians trapped in Ukraine. (foreign language)

New Delhi:

Noting the power of the Indian flag in a foreign land, Prime Minister Modi said it was the power of the Indian flag that served as his reassurance when so many Indians and young people were trapped in Ukraine. conflict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian tricolor became his “guarantee” during the raging war between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking to ANI, Prime Minister Modi said, “I am very friendly with the presidents of both countries (Russia and Ukraine). I can publicly say to President Putin that this is not the time for war. I can also publicly say to Ukraine: we should go the path of dialogue,” emphasizing that “this is because I have credibility.”

“… when I say so many people from India, our youth are stuck. I need your help. What can I do for you? Then I said, I have arranged so many . You helped me a lot. The power of their Indian flag was so great that even foreigners used to hold the Indian flag in their hands, so my flag became my guarantee,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Prime Minister Modi said that while discussions about Ukraine have been ongoing, he has seen many such incidents since 2014.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that in 2015 he made a direct call to the King of Saudi Arabia to help with the massive evacuation of India. Indians and foreigners are trapped in war-torn Yemen as bombing raids by Saudi Arabia and its allies make it difficult for Indian nationals to evacuate.

The prime minister said: “I spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia and told him I wanted to bring Yemenis there. So your bombing is going on and we can’t do it, how are you going to help us? So he said, please try to understand me. Sushma Ji said these words in an interview. There was a time when we did not bring our people out by plane, and the same was true of Ukraine.

In March this year, Prime Minister Modi had phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky respectively.

He called Russian President Vladimir Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as president. The two leaders agreed to step up efforts to expand the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia.

He reiterated India’s position that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

Prime Minister Modi, however, reiterated India’s people-centric approach in his conversation with Zelensky and called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Prime Minister noted that India supports all efforts for early and peaceful resolution of all issues between the parties. He added that India would continue to do everything in its power to support a peaceful solution.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked India for continuing to provide humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people. The leaders of the two countries agreed to maintain contact.

In early 2022, Prime Minister Modi received widespread attention for his suggestions to President Putin on the war in Ukraine during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

“Today’s era is not about war, I have spoken to you about this on the phone. Today we will have an opportunity to discuss how to make progress on the path of peace…,” Prime Minister Modi said.

The war between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)