New Delhi: India is not “neutral” on the Russia-Ukraine war, but has chosen the side of peace, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday, while welcoming efforts of US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the three-year war.
At a joint press conference after over four hours of bilateral talks with Trump, Modi told reporters that he had been in regular contact with both Russia and Ukraine. “I have personally met (the leaders of) both nations. Many people have a misconception that India is neutral. I want to make it clear that India is not neutral – we have our own side: peace,” the Prime Minister said.
He said this was the principle behind his comment – “this is not the time for war” – before the media two years ago, with Putin by his side. “And I hold this conviction even today that solutions to problems cannot be found on the battlefield. Ultimately, it is done on the discussion table.”
Modi welcomed recent endeavours by Trump to bring the two countries to the negotiating table, adding that he hoped the American President was “successful soon so that the path to peace may open in the world”.
Trump spoke with Putin Wednesday, and the two leaders agreed to immediately begin negotiations to end the war, which began in February 2022. Trump maintains there would have been no war if he had remained in the White House, blaming predecessor Joe Biden for the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump has directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the talks. The American President later spoke with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
India and Russia-Ukraine peace efforts
India has maintained ties with Russia since the beginning of the war, refusing to endorse sanctions imposed by Western countries on Moscow’s economy. In 2023-2024, India imported roughly $54 billion worth of petroleum products from Russia. The purchase of Russian oil irritated a number of Western powers, including the US under Biden.
Moreover, Indian firms have been sanctioned by the US for carrying on trade with Russia. Small arms manufacturer Lokesh Machines Ltd, which supplied 550 9x19mm calibre submachine guns to the Indian Army in 2024, was sanctioned by Washington for its continuing engagement with Russia.
Modi has maintained India’s interest in peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, travelling to both Moscow and Kyiv last July and August. The visits by the Prime Minister were part of his personal efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table. Modi met both Putin and Zelenskyy a number of times in 2024, including on the margins of major international summits like the G7 in Italy and the BRICS in Russia.
‘Early days’
While Trump conceded in the joint press conference that efforts for peace were still in its “early days”, the US administration outlined its clearest position on Ukraine Wednesday, dismissing its aspirations for a membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and calling its goal for a return to pre-2014 borders “illusionary”.
Russia began its occupation of Crimea in 2014, before claiming four Ukrainian provinces during the course of the ongoing war. Before talking peace, Putin wants the annexations to be internationally recognised, the Ukrainian military to be limited and guarantees of a no-NATO membership for Kyiv.
Zelenskyy spent 2024 building global support for his 10-point peace plan, which includes the return to pre-2014 borders, security guarantees from the West, including NATO membership.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Wednesday ruled out such measures and went a step further to add that any potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine would not be under the umbrella of the 32-member military alliance.
On what he wants from Russia for peace, the American President said: “As far as the negotiations, it is too early to say what’s going to happen. Maybe Russia will give up a lot. Maybe they won’t, and it’s all dependent on what is going to happen. The negotiation really hasn’t started,” he said Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron took exception to Trump’s comments, calling any peace efforts which yielded ground to Putin would be “bad news for everyone”. In an interview with British daily The Financial Times, Macron said it was up to Ukraine to decide on concessions for peace with Russia.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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