India reaffirmed its commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict on Friday.
In a weekly media briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India’s position on the conflict is well-known and understood, emphasising the need for sincere and practical engagement between the two parties and other stakeholders through dialogue and diplomacy.
When asked about comments made by Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Secretary of State, Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski, who credited Prime Minister Modi with persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use tactical nuclear weapons, Jaiswal said, “Our position on the Ukraine-Russia conflict is well-known and understood as well. We have always advocated sincere and practical engagement between the two parties and other stakeholders and key stakeholders through dialogue and diplomacy to arrive at or find a lasting resolution to the conflict.”
India has been engaging in conversations with both Ukraine and Russia, as well as other stakeholders, to facilitate a lasting resolution to the conflict.
“Our conversations with the two parties to the conflict, as well as with other stakeholders, have been in keeping with this larger approach,” he added.
Meanwhile, while speaking to ANI, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a role in persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
Speaking to ANI, Bartoszewski stated that Putin had “threatened” to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, but calls from India and China influenced his decision to reconsider.
“President Putin was threatening to use tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine. The Americans sent lots of messages for him not to think about it… That didn’t necessarily persuade him at first. He received two phone calls- one from the President of China, Xi Jinping, and one from PM Modi, telling him that neither China nor India independently approve of the war. When two major nations, which Russia consider to be friendly, said don’t do it. He decided that it was not a good idea, so PM Narendra Modi played a role in it,” Bartoszewski said.
Bartoszewski, along with several world leaders, is attending the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. (ANI)
