New Delhi: Just three days after his visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed US President Joe Biden on his talks in Ukraine, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had expressed concern about India’s increasing alignment with Russia.
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The phone call between Modi and Biden came as Ukraine was subjected to a massive missile and drone attack by Russia, which President Zelenskyy described as “one of the most serious attacks” in the two-year-old war.>
The Indian edition A letter published by the Foreign Ministry stressed that the phone call with Modi was initiated by Biden.
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“While discussing the situation in Ukraine, the Prime Minister briefed President Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine. He reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy and expressed full support for an early return of peace and stability,” the MEA media statement said.>
Modi visited Kyiv on August 23 for a nine-hour trip, just over a month after his visit to Moscow.
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While Modi expressed India’s support for all efforts to bring peace in the Ukraine war, Zelensky stressed that India must endorse the joint declaration of the first peace summit in Switzerland, which India had not signed.>
Although India explained the reasons for buying Russian oil during the official talks, Zelensky urged New Delhi to reduce its imports in a press conference at the end of the visit in order to put financial pressure on Moscow and persuade it to end the war.>
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin on Monday, August 26. Ukraine was also discussed at the meeting. According to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.>
“The parties compared approaches to certain international and bilateral issues. The head of the Indian diplomatic mission was once again informed about Russia’s fundamental position regarding the conflict in Ukraine,” the Russian press release said.
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In addition to Ukraine, the Indian and US leaders also discussed Bangladesh and expressed their “shared concerns,” the Indian statement said.>
“They stressed the restoration of law and order and ensuring the security of minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh,” the statement said.>
Albanian call>
On Monday, Modi also discussed the Quad in a separate phone call with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albanese later posted on X about their conversation “about all the work that Australia and India are doing as partners bilaterally and regionally, including in the Quad.”
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India was originally supposed to host the Quad Heads of State and Government Summit, but it did not take place as US President Biden declined the invitation to be the Republic Day guest of honour due to scheduling conflicts.>
The Quad summit is now scheduled to take place in New York next month, coinciding with the annual United Nations General Assembly. This could be Biden’s last opportunity to attend a summit before the presidential election in November.>
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has confirmed that he will be in New Yorkhis last trip abroad before his resignation.
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The Indian Prime Minister will travel to the United States for a four-day visit to attend United Nations events and hold diplomatic meetings on the sidelines.>
Albanese is so far the only Quad leader who has not confirmed whether he will be in the US in September.>
In his post on X about their conversationModi said both had “taken stock of the progress in our bilateral relations and our cooperation in multilateral forums, including the Quad.”
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