Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that his country is “ready to contribute in every possible way” to ending the war in Ukraine, after a historic meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.
In a joint statement with Zelensky, Modi reiterated “the need for sincere and practical engagement among all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions.”
The statement said Ukraine was convinced that a communiqué from the June peace talks in Switzerland – which India attended without signing the final declaration – should form the basis for future negotiations.
The leaders also stressed the importance of the UN Charter, with its “respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of States.”
“We believe that this conflict must end,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at a press conference after the meeting.
“We expect both parties to reach a solution,” he added.
According to Jaishankar, the outraged reaction in some countries to a photo of Modi hugging Putin in July is the result of a “cultural divide that people in the West may not understand.”
“Today Zelensky also hugged Prime Minister Modi,” he said.
