'INDIA IS NOT NEUTRAL, ALWAYS ON THE SIDE OF PEACE' PM Modi says India willing to contribute in all ways possible for restoration of peace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's consistent stance of "dialogue and diplomacy" to resolve the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

The Prime Minister emphasised "India's willingness to contribute in all ways possible" to facilitate the early restoration of peace. The two leaders also discussed PM Modi's conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Moscow in July, Jaishankar added.

"It is India's view that Ukraine and Russia need to engage with each other to find a solution," the minister said while briefing the media about PM Modi's historic visit to Ukraine.

PM Modi is on a visit to Ukraine, the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister since Ukraine became independent in 1991. Ukraine is under the shadow of a long-drawn war with Russia, now in its third year. He held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

"I have come with a message of peace..I want to assure you and the entire global community that India is committed to respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity (of states) and it is of utmost importance to us,” Modi told Zelenskyy at the talks.

“We (India) are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken sides. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha where there is no place for war; we have come from the land of Mahatma Gandhi who had given a message of peace to the entire world,” Modi said.

“This is a landmark visit. It’s the first time that an Indian PM has visited Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. PM arrived by a special train in the morning, and he was received by the First Deputy Foreign Minister at the Kyiv railway station. He met the Indian community,” Jaishankar said in a media briefing.

As the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy, Modi is being seen as a possible peacemaker because of India’s historically warm ties with Russia. He embraced President Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, where they also held a delegationlevel meeting.