• Source:JND
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PM Modi Ukraine Visit:  Affirming India's longstanding position on Russian incursion of the host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that New Delhi's stance was 'never neutral' rather it is always on the side of peace. He also assured Zelenskyy of India's continuing humanitarian support to the war-torn country during his discussion with Zelenskyy.

This comes as Prime Minister Modi and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy held one-to-one talks focussed on exploring peaceful ways to resolve the current Russia-Ukraine war.

During his much-anticipated talks with Zelenskyy, PM Modi, while reiterating India's stand, said: "India was never neutral, we have always been on the side of peace." A similar position was later released in the joint statement released by the two heads of government.

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"The Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in June 2024," one of the points of joint statement stated.

"Prime Minister 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. He reiterated India's willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace," another point added. 

PM Thanks Zelenskyy For Helping Indians' Evacuation

During the discussion, Prime Minister Modi thanked Zelenskyy for his help during the initial days of the conflict in ensuring the safe evacuation of the stranded Indian nationals, mostly students.

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"When there were initial days of war you helped in the evacuation of Indian nationals and students. I express my gratitude to you for your help during this time of crisis...The world knows very well that during the war we played two roles...The first role was the humanitarian approach...I assure you that whatever the need may be from a humanitarian point of view, India will always stand with you and will be two steps ahead," Zelenskyy said.