New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hours after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The prime minister’s talks with the two leaders took place against the backdrop of Putin’s re-election as president and the war between Russia and Ukraine showing no signs of easing. Sources told New Delhi TV that the two leaders said they saw India as a peacemaker.

Sources said that both Zelensky and Putin invited Prime Minister Modi to visit their respective countries after the Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Modi last visited Russia in 2018.

Phone call with Zelensky

Prime Minister Modi discussed ways to strengthen India’s partnership with Ukraine, reiterated India’s people-centric approach and called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the current conflict.

The Prime Minister said India will continue to do everything in its power to support a peaceful solution. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy thanked India for continuing to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine. The leaders of the two countries agreed to maintain contact.

In May last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Ukrainian president on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine last February.

On the phone with Putin

Earlier today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Russian President Vladimir Putin to once again congratulate him on his re-election as president. During the phone conversation, the two leaders agreed to intensify efforts to expand the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia.

“Had a phone call with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership in the coming years,” Prime Minister Modi said.

India has emphasized diplomacy and discussions to resolve the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. “India wants discussions, diplomacy, constant engagement so that both sides can come together and seek peace,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said at a press conference.

Putin re-elected and the war continues

Vladimir Putin won the presidential election with 87.17% of the vote. Nikolai Kharitonov, candidate of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, came in second with 4.1% of the vote, and Vladislav Davankov, candidate of the New People’s Party, came in third with 4.8% of the vote.

Putin has served four terms as President of Russia. He was first elected president in 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2012 and 2018. He has remained virtually unchallenged in the polls and has tightened his grip on the Kremlin with another six-year term. The West called the election “extremely undemocratic.”

Ukraine is urging the U.S. Congress to lift a $60 billion aid package that has been stalled by political infighting. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told an online briefing to foreign media that the delays were a “shock” for Ukrainian officials.

“Since the invasion, Russia has wasted a whopping $211 billion to equip, deploy, sustain and sustain unnecessary wars against its neighbors,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin said. “Putin’s choice of war will cost Russia $1.3 trillion in previously projected economic growth through 2026.”

“If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Austin said. “Our allies and partners are here because they understand the stakes.”