Miller made these comments in answer to a question from the media concerning PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, which the president of Ukraine described as a catastrophic setback to efforts towards peace.
Washington: The US has asked India to “utilize” its long-standing ties with Russia and convince President Vladimir Putin to stop his “illegal war” in Ukraine amid the ongoing confrontation between Moscow and Kyiv.
During a news briefing on Monday, US State Department spokeswoman Matthew Miller emphasized the close relations between Moscow and Delhi while simultaneously pleading with India to remind Putin to uphold the UN Charter.
India and Russia have a long-standing friendship, then. That’s probably well known. And on behalf of the United States, we have urged India to use their close ties to Russia, as well as their advantageous position, to press President Putin to halt his unlawful war and find a fair and long-lasting resolution to the conflict. We have also urged Putin to respect the UN Charter and Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Miller said.
“We’ll continue to impress that upon the Government of India, who is an important partner of ours when it comes to their relationship with Russia,” the speaker continued.
Miller made these comments in answer to a question from the media on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to Russia, which the president of Ukraine described as a catastrophic setback to efforts towards peace.
During a recent official visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During their meeting, they discussed their shared objectives of removing non-tariff trade obstacles and reaching a mutual trade volume of USD 100 billion by 2030.
According to the Leaders’ Joint Statement issued after the meeting, the two leaders also agreed to keep talking about liberalizing bilateral trade, including the potential creation of the EAEU-India Free Trade Area.
Additionally, they agreed to work toward creating a system of bilateral payments in national currencies as well as introducing digital financial instruments consistently for settlements between them.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, formally awarded Prime Minister Modi the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, the country’s highest civilian honor.
Notably, PM Modi was given the medal in 2019, but he actually picked it up in person while he was in the country.
While there, Prime Minister Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and referred to peace as “most important” for coming generations. In addition to stating that peace negotiations fail in the presence of bombs, weapons, and bullets, he argued that there is no solution on the battlefield.
As a friend, I have always maintained that maintaining peace is crucial for the promising future of our future generations. However, I am also aware that conflict zones cannot hold solutions. Peace negotiations and solutions fail in the midst of bombs, weapons, and bullets. PM Modi has stated, “We will have to pursue the path to peace only through talks.”
It was PM Modi’s first trip to Russia since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022 between Moscow and Kyiv. India has consistently supported “peace and diplomacy” as a means of settling disputes with Russia, even as it has been buying Russian oil.
As a friend, I have always maintained that maintaining peace is crucial for the promising future of our future generations. However, I am also aware that conflict zones cannot hold solutions. Peace negotiations and solutions fail in the midst of bombs, weapons, and bullets. PM Modi has stated, “We will have to pursue the path to peace only through talks.”
It was PM Modi’s first trip to Russia since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022 between Moscow and Kyiv. India has consistently supported “peace and diplomacy” as a means of settling disputes with Russia, even as it has been buying Russian oil.
