Ukraine crisis must be resolved politically, says India's Modi

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The Ukraine crisis must be resolved using dialogue and diplomacy, and New Delhi is ready to contribute to any peace process, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday.

"From the time developments in Ukraine started, India has emphasized that the dispute should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. India is ready to contribute to any peace process," Modi told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the latter pays a state visit to New Delhi and Bengaluru from February 25-26.

According to Modi, the Ukraine conflict, just like the Covid-19 pandemic, had a tremendous impact on the whole world, with developing countries being hit the hardest.

"We have expressed our shared concern on this. We agree on the fact that these problems can only be resolved through collective efforts. We emphasize this during India's G20 Presidency as well," he underlined.

The Indian premier noted that India and Germany had agreed that "reforms are essential in multilateral institutions so that they better reflect global realities."

"This is clear from our active partnership in the G4 to bring about reforms of the UN Security Council," Modi added.

India has since late 2022 been calling on Kiev and Moscow to engage in peace talks to resolve their issues, with the country's ambassador to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, saying at a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting in October that New Delhi was calling on the resumption of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

"We urge that all efforts are made by concerned sides for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. The path to peace requires us to keep all channels of diplomacy open," Kamboj said.

"India's Prime Minister has also emphasized that this cannot be an era of war. We therefore sincerely hope for an early resumption of peace talks to bring about an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the conflict," Kambok said. "It is important that pathways are found for a return to the negotiating table."

Over the past few years, India has entertained good economic relations with Russia.

Even though sanctions were imposed by the West on Russia, this did not stop India from continuing to conduct business activities with its Russian counterpart.

Meanwhile, in light of Kiev's recent losses, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, according to The Wall Street Journal, see deeper NATO-Ukraine ties as a way to push Kiev to begin peace talks with Russia later in the year as some of Kiev's western partners grow more doubtful over its capacity to take control of the lands that ceded to Russia.

When the three Presidents met in Paris earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he needed to start thinking about peace talks with Moscow, according to persons familiar with the conversation.

Macron provided a more somber message over dinner at the Élysée Palace the sources said, telling Zelensky that even fierce adversaries like France and Germany had to make peace after World War II.

According to the same sources as quoted by WSJ, Macron informed Zelensky that he had been a superb battle leader, but that he would eventually have to transition into political statesmanship and make difficult judgments.