PM Narendra Modi and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky hold talks
New Delhi:
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said history was made with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Ukraine since the European country’s independence. He said India and Ukraine have signed four documents on a wide range of fields.
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“Following the visit, we also agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation,” said the Ukrainian President, whose country is at war with Russia.
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PM Modi’s office in the joint India-Ukraine statement said both leaders reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. “They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard,” the joint statement said.
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PM Modi arrived in Kyiv this morning on a special train on the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian Prime Minister after the former Russian state became independent in 1991.
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In his talks with Mr Zelensky that took place under the shadow of the conflict, PM Modi said India is ever ready to play an “active role” in every effort to restore peace in Ukraine and he would even like to contribute personally in ending the conflict.
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“We (India) are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken sides. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha where there is no place for war,” PM Modi said in his opening remarks during the talks. “We have come from the land of Mahatma Gandhi who had given a message of peace to the entire world,” he said.
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Both sides agreed to ask the Indian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) to explore all possible ways to not only restore bilateral trade and economic relations to pre-conflict levels, but expand and deepen them further.
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There has been a significant reduction in the annual bilateral trade in goods since 2022 due to the challenges related to the ongoing conflict.
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PM Modi also apprised Mr Zelensky of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand in September 2022 and Moscow last month. “Some time back, when I met President Putin in Samarkand, I had told him that this was not the era of war. Last month when I went to Russia, I said in clear words that a solution to any problem is never found on the battlefield,” PM Modi said.
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PM Modi’s visit to Kyiv is seen in many quarters as a diplomatic balancing act as his trip to Russia triggered anguish among some Western countries. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said PM Modi reiterated the need for “practical engagement” between all stakeholders to develop an innovative solution that will help build broad acceptability and contribute towards peace and stability.
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Both sides called for a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary global realities and to make it more representative, effective and efficient in dealing with issues of international peace and security. Ukraine reiterated its support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.
