Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine. | Photo Credit: AP
In a significant move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday proposed India’s name among some countries of the global south to host the second Ukraine peace summit and conveyed his idea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The first peace summit was held in June at a resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, attended by more than 90 countries and global organizations, with the sole aim of bringing peace to Ukraine.
At a media briefing, Zelensky said he told Prime Minister Modi that the peace summit could be held in India.
He said, “As far as the Peace Summit is concerned, I really believe there must be a second Peace Summit. It would be good if it were held in a country in the Global South.”
“We are very open to that. There are countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Switzerland. We are currently talking to those countries about hosting a peace summit,” Zelensky said.
He said, “I told Prime Minister Modi that we can hold the global peace summit in India. This is a big country, it is a great democracy – the largest democracy.”
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However, at the same time the Ukrainian President said it would not be possible to hold the summit in a country that has not joined the communiqué of the previous peace summit.
India participated in the first edition of the summit but refrained from associating itself with the statement that emerged from the deliberations.
New Delhi stressed that it will continue dialogue with all stakeholders for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
The summit ended with dozens of countries expressing support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” and calling for dialogue between all parties to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
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Modi told Zelensky on Friday that Ukraine and Russia should waste no time and sit together to end the ongoing war and that India was ready to play an “active role” in restoring peace in the region.
His nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine was the first by an Indian prime minister since Ukraine’s independence in 1991. It came six weeks after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that sparked outrage in some Western countries.
“I have come with a message of peace…I want to assure you and the entire global community that India is committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity (of states) and this is of utmost importance to us,” Modi told Zelensky during the talks.
The Prime Minister also emphasised India’s strong commitment to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States.
He said, “I want to assure you and the entire global community that India is committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity (of the states) and this is of utmost importance to us.”
Zelenskyy said India supports Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and this is “important because everyone in the world should equally respect the UN Charter.”