New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone Wednesday after his victory in the presidential election three days ago, and reiterated that the way forward in the Russia-Ukraine conflict was through “dialogue and diplomacy”.
Modi also talked about deepening their “privileged partnership” and conveyed his best wishes “for peace, progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Russia,” according to a readout by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The two leaders also “reviewed progress in various issues of bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest”.
The PMO statement added: “While discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the PM reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward”.
According to a Kremlin readout of the conversation, Putin wished Modi “for the successful conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections in India”.
In a post on X Wednesday, Modi said, “Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead. @KremlinRussia.”
Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead. @KremlinRussia
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2024
The Prime Minister had also taken to the micro-blogging site on Monday to convey his “warm congratulations” to the Russian leader on his re-election and looked forward to “working together”.
Hours after Modi announced his call with Putin, the PM took to X to mention a call he had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Modi said he conveyed India’s “consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict”.
Zelenskyy added, “It will be important for us to see India attend the inaugural Peace Summit, which is currently being prepared in Switzerland. We discussed the development of our bilateral relations, which should include a meeting of our teams and a session of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation in New Delhi in the nearest future.”
I spoke with Prime Minister @NarendraModi to express gratitude for India's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, humanitarian aid, and active participation in Peace Formula meetings.
It will be important for us to see India attend the inaugural Peace…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 20, 2024
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West’s condemnation of Putin reelection
Modi’s pat on the back for Putin, however, follows widespread condemnation by the West, with leaders decrying the polls as neither “free nor fair”. Zelenskyy had called Putin a “dictator” and Russia’s election a “sham”.
Very few countries, including India and China, have toasted Putin’s victory as he embarks on his fifth term and is expected to stay in office till at least 2030.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in a statement said, “These Russian elections starkly underline the depth of repression under President Putin’s regime, which seeks to silence any opposition to his illegal war.”
“Holding elections on Ukrainian territory — as Russia did in Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia — is an abhorrent violation of the UN Charter and Ukrainian sovereignty,” Cameron added.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the elections “undemocratic” in a statement published Tuesday.
“The Kremlin conducted sham presidential elections in temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine as a blatant propaganda exercise, in the hopes it would strengthen Russia’s illegitimate claim to the parts of Ukraine it illegally invaded and now occupies,” Blinken said.
Putin has ruled Russia for two decades since the turn of the millennium. He is the longest serving leader of the country since Joseph Stalin, who led the Soviet Union from 1924 till his death in 1953.
According to Reuters, the Russian president’s first foreign trip of his new term would be to China in May, for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The trip is likely to take place in the second half of May.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: PM Modi stresses dialogue, diplomacy for Ukraine crisis resolution with Putin
It would be a sterling achievement for Indian diplomacy to contribute to an early ceasefire in Ukraine. The two sides are far apart, there is a stalemate, tilting towards Russia on the ground, an ever present risk of direct NATO involvement.