US wants India to utilize connections with Russia, Tell Putin to end the war in Ukraine

In the midst of the current dispute between Moscow and Kyiv, the United States of America has urged India to utilise its connections with Russia and President Putin to end the war in Ukraine and bring about a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In addition to highlighting the close relations between Moscow and Delhi, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller asked India to persuade Putin to uphold the UN Charter during a news briefing on Monday.

“So India has a longstanding relationship with Russia. I think that’s well-known. And we have – speaking for the United States – encouraged India to utilize that relationship with Russia, that longstanding relationship and the unique position that they have, to urge President Putin to end his illegal war and to find a just peace, a lasting peace to this conflict; to tell Vladimir Putin to respect the UN Charter, to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Mr Miller said.

He further added, “That’s what we’ll continue to impress upon the Government of India, who is an important partner of ours when it comes to their relationship with Russia.”

Mr Miller’s remarks came in response to a media query on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, which the Ukrainian President termed as a devastating blow to the peace efforts.

During a recent official visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During their meeting, they discussed their shared objectives of removing non-tariff trade obstacles and reaching a mutual trade volume of USD 100 billion by 2030.

According to the Leaders’ Joint Statement issued after the meeting, the two leaders also agreed to keep talking about liberalizing bilateral trade, including the potential creation of the EAEU-India Free Trade Area.

Additionally, they agreed to work toward creating a system of bilateral payments in national currencies as well as introducing digital financial instruments consistently for settlements between them.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, formally awarded Prime Minister Modi the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, the country’s highest civilian honor.

Notably, PM Modi was given the medal in 2019, but he actually picked it up in person while he was in the country.

While there, Prime Minister Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and referred to peace as “most important” for coming generations. In addition to stating that peace negotiations fail in the presence of bombs, weapons, and bullets, he argued that there is no solution on the battlefield.

PM Modi’s Emphasis on Peace Talks

“As a friend, I have always said that for the bright future of our coming generations, peace is of utmost importance. But I also know that solutions are not possible on battlegrounds. Amid bombs, guns, and bullets, solutions and peace talks do not succeed. We will have to follow the path to peace only through talks,” PM Modi had said.

It was PM Modi’s first trip to Russia since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022 between Moscow and Kiev. India has consistently supported “peace and diplomacy” as a means of settling disputes with Russia, even as it has been buying Russian oil.

PM Modi said that everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is a loss of lives. He further stated that it is “heart-wrenching” when innocent children are dying.

“Be it war, conflicts, terror attacks – everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is loss of lives. But when innocent children are murdered, when we see innocent children dying, it is heart-wrenching. That pain is immense. I also held a detailed discussion with you over this,” he had said.

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