Western ideologues, who have tried to drive a wedge in between India and Russia, breaking their historic collaboration, have had a hard time this year with India’s Prime Minister Narenda Modi. But they will try to make the most they can out of Modi’s interchange today with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Modi’s call today for negotiations with Ukraine for peace. However, a brief look at the televised discussion between the two, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, tells a different story.
Modi called for an early cessation of hostilities and the need for talks and diplomacy: “I know today’s era is not of war. We discussed this issue with you on phone several times, that democracy, diplomacy and dialogue touch the entire world.” He said he hoped to talk about “how we can move forward on the road of peace in the coming days,” and to understand Putin’s viewpoint. “Today the biggest worry before the world, especially developing countries, is food security, fuel security [and] fertilizers. We must find ways to solve these problems and you will also have to consider it.”
Putin responded in part: “We will do our best to make it stop as soon as possible. However, unfortunately, … the leadership of Ukraine announced that it was abandoning the negotiation process and declared that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, ‘on the battlefield,’ as they say.”
