Ukraine peace initiative shouldn’t be unilateral – Indian foreign minister
“Our view is that any exercise, if it has to be productive, will naturally have to involve the other party concerned,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stressed
For an effective peace in the Ukraine Region, the peace initiative cannot be unilateral, commented Shri Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Foreign Minister, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev.
In a most clear encouragement to USA, Western Europe and to Zelensky to follow conventional procedures on peace talks, Jaishankar said “Our view is that any exercise, if it has to be productive, will naturally have to involve the other party concerned, “at a news conference. “It cannot be obviously, you know, completely one-sided.”
According to the minister, Zelensky spoke much about the Ukraine Peace Summit.
“At the end of the day, it’s their initiative,” he said.
It is very clear that PM Modi visited Ukraine after his visit to Poland as per an Indian initiative. It was neither under USA pressure or any appeasement of the West. Russia will always remain the most trusted partner of India. In this multipolar World now India has become an active player and not a mere spectator.
The minister mentioned that India was also represented at the Swiss-hosted summit.
“We also agree on some parts of it and don’t agree necessarily on all of it,” he said. “There was a very open discussion on this.”
The leaders discussed who will come to the next summit, if it takes place, according to Jaishankar.
“Will the Russians come in?” he said. “That’s an issue which presumably the government of Ukraine is dealing with.”
Modi arrived in Ukraine on Friday on the first visit to the country by an Indian leader since the nations established diplomatic relations in 1992. Modi took a train to Kiev from Poland and spent a few hours in the Ukrainian capital.
India too believes that sincere interaction between all parties concerned is necessary to find ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in a joint statement following their meeting in Kiev.
“Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi reiterated the need for sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have broad acceptability and contribute towards early restoration of peace,” the document reads.
The text also states that the Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on a peaceful settlement through dialogue and diplomacy, under which India participated in the Ukraine Peace Summit held in Switzerland in June 2024.
The Indian prime minister “reiterated India’s willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace,” the statement reads.
