New Delhi: In a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden on Monday said the US and India will continue their consultations in dealing with the destabilising effects of the Russian war against Ukraine and complimented New Delhi’s humanitarian support for the Ukrainian people.
In his televised opening remarks, Modi said the recent reports of killings of innocent civilians in Bucha city were very worrying and that India immediately condemned it and demanded a fair investigation.
“We hope that the ongoing dialogue between Russia and Ukraine will lead to peace,” Modi said.
The prime minister referred to his phone conversations with Ukrainian and Russian presidents and suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.
“Our talks today are taking place at a time when the situation in Ukraine remains very worrying. Till a few weeks ago, more than 20,000 Indians were stranded in Ukraine. And most of these were young students,” Modi said.
“After a lot of hard work, we were able to get them out of there safely, although one student lost his life. Throughout this development, I spoke on the phone several times with the Presidents of both Ukraine and Russia,” he said.
“Not only did I appeal for peace, but I also suggested President Putin to have direct talks with the President of Ukraine. The subject of Ukraine has been discussed in great detail in our Parliament as well,” Modi added.
In his remarks, Biden said the US and India will continue close consultation on “how to manage the destabilising effects of this Russian war in Ukraine”
“Our continued consultation and dialogue are key to ensure the US-India relationship continues to grow deeper and stronger delivering our people and our global good that we all are seeking to manage particularly in your part of the world,” Biden said.
“I want to welcome India’s humanitarian support for the people of Ukraine who are suffering the horrific assault including a tragic shelling on a train station last week that killed dozens of innocent children, women and civilians attempting to flee the violence,” Biden said.
The American president also mentioned the strong defence partnership between India and the US.
The Modi-Biden meeting took place ahead of the fourth India-US ‘2+2’ dialogue in Washington which will be led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the Indian side and their US counterparts, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony J Blinken.
The virtual meeting comes in the midst of some disquiet in Washington over India’s position on the Ukraine crisis as well as its decision to procure discounted Russian oil.
“We have also placed importance on the safety of civilian people in Ukraine and the uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to them and which you have just mentioned in the beginning,” Modi said.
“On our behalf, we have sent medicines and other relief materials to Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. And on the demand of Ukraine we are sending another consignment of medicines very soon,” he said.
The prime minister also referred to Biden’s slogan at the very beginning of his speech that ‘democracies can deliver’.
“The success of India-US partnership is the best way to make this slogan meaningful,” he said.
Referring to the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, Modi said he was confident that India-US friendship will be an integral part of India’s development journey for the next 25 years.
“In September last year, when I came to Washington, and which you have just mentioned, you said that the India-US partnership can contribute to resolving many global problems. I completely agree with you,” Modi said.
“As the world’s two largest and oldest democracies, we are natural partners,” he said.
The US President last spoke to Modi and other Quad leaders during a virtual meeting in March.
Unlike its Quad partner countries, India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms on the Russian aggression.
India has been pressing for an immediate cessation of violence in Ukraine and seeking a resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue.
Modi has held phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, March 2 and March 7.
He had also spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy twice.
In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on April 1, Modi conveyed that India stands ready to contribute in any way to the peace efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
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