US President Joe Biden has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “message of peace” and “humanitarian support” for Ukraine, as they discussed his historic visit to Kyiv and the prospects for an early return to peace through dialogue and diplomacy.
Biden and Modi held a phone conversation on Monday at the initiative of the US President. The conversation came three days after Modi’s high-profile visit to Kyiv during which he told President Zelensky that Ukraine and Russia should sit together to end the war and that India is ready to play an “active role” in restoring peace.
In a post on ‘X’, Joe Biden said, “I discussed with Prime Minister Modi his recent visit to Poland and Ukraine and appreciated his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine.” Biden added, “We also reaffirmed our commitment to working together to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
I discussed with Prime Minister Modi his recent visit to Poland and Ukraine and appreciated his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
We also reaffirmed our commitment to work together to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 26, 2024
This was the first conversation between the two leaders after Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia, Poland and Ukraine and the recent political developments in Bangladesh.
The statement issued by the White House made no reference to Bangladesh, which was mentioned by Prime Minister Modi in the ‘X’ post.
PM Modi’s nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine is the first by an Indian prime minister since Ukraine’s independence in 1991. It comes six weeks after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that sparked outrage in some Western countries.
The two leaders also discussed Modi’s recent visit to Poland and Ukraine, as well as the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September, the White House said in details of the conversation.
“The President appreciated the Prime Minister’s historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in decades, and his message of peace and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, including in its energy sector,” it said.
Biden and Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed their continued support for the peaceful resolution of the conflict under international law based on the UN Charter.
“The leaders also emphasized their continued commitment to working together through regional groupings like the Quad to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” the White House said.
Meanwhile, commenting on Biden’s telephonic conversation with Modi, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said, “I think it’s safe to say they certainly talked about Ukraine and the prime minister’s visit to Kyiv and the possibilities for moving forward under President Zelenskyy’s just peace plan.”
“We welcome any other country that wants to help President Zelenskyy work for a just peace,” he added.
“And any country that is willing to engage in that discussion, starting with President Zelenskyy’s point of view, listening to him, signing on to that proposal – and I won’t speak for India and what they’re signing on to or not; that’s for the Prime Minister and his team to talk about,” he added.
Mr Kirby said that the US certainly welcomes any country that is willing to help and wants to begin negotiations by accepting President Zelensky’s just peace proposal and understanding his perspective.
Earlier, in a post on X, PM Modi said that during the call with Biden, they had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister said, “I reiterate India’s full support for the early return of peace and stability.”
Furthermore, PM Modi said that he and Biden also discussed the ongoing situation in Bangladesh and stressed the need for early restoration of normalcy and ensuring the safety of minorities, especially Hindus.
Following the ongoing political developments in Bangladesh, India has been constantly stressing on ensuring the safety of minorities, especially Hindus, in the neighbouring country.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
