Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday named India among three countries with which he is in constant touch over the Ukraine conflict and said they are making sincere efforts to resolve the issue, state news agency TASS reported.
Reporting on his remarks at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, US media outlet Politico reported that he also said, “If Ukraine wishes to continue the dialogue, I can do that.” Putin’s remarks come less than two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Ukraine, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We respect our friends and partners, who, I believe, sincerely want to resolve all issues related to this conflict, primarily China, Brazil and India. I am in constant contact with my colleagues on this issue,” the Russian news agency quoted Putin as saying.
Moreover, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia daily that India could help establish dialogue on Ukraine.
Underlining the existing “highly constructive, even friendly relations” between Prime Ministers Modi and Putin, he said the Indian Prime Minister “can play a leading role in obtaining direct information from the participants in this conflict,” as he “freely communicates with Putin, Zelensky and the Americans.” “This gives India a great opportunity to exert its weight in world affairs, to use its influence that would push the Americans and the Ukrainians to use more political will and move forward on the path of a peaceful settlement,” Peskov added.
However, he said there was no specific plan for mediation by Prime Minister Modi on the issue.
“They hardly exist at the moment, as we do not see any preconditions for negotiations at the moment,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
Prime Minister Modi visited Ukraine on August 23, where he told President Zelensky that Ukraine and Russia should waste no time in sitting together and end the ongoing war and that India is ready to play an “active role” in restoring peace in the region.
His nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine was the first by an Indian prime minister since its independence in 1991. The visit came six weeks after his summit with President Putin, which had sparked outrage in some Western countries.
In his talks with Zelensky in Kyiv, Prime Minister Modi said that India has been in favour of peace since the beginning of the conflict and he would also like to personally contribute to a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
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