Spoke to Putin several times, suggested him to have direct talks with Zelenskyy: PM Modi tells Biden on Ukraine situation

"Our today's talks are taking place at a time when the situation in Ukraine remains very worrisome," PM Modi said in a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (April 11, 2022) held a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden and discussed the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Our today's talks are taking place at a time when the situation in Ukraine remains very worrisome," PM Modi told Biden.

He added that he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin several times since the invasion began on February 24 and suggested him to have direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

"Till a few weeks back, more than 20,000 Indians were stranded in Ukraine. And most of them were young students. After putting in a lot of effort, we managed to get them out of there safely, although one student lost his life.

Addressing the India-US virtual summit with @POTUS @JoeBiden. https://t.co/sgYlj2nqSG

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 11, 2022

"Throughout this development, I spoke to the Presidents of both Ukraine and Russia over the phone several times. I not only appealed for peace but also suggested President Putin to have direct talks with the President of Ukraine," Modi said. 

He stated that the subject of Ukraine has also been discussed in great detail in the Indian Parliament.

News of recent killings of innocent civilians in Bucha 'very worrying' 

Prime Minister Modi said that the news of the recent killings of innocent civilians in Bucha city was "very worrying". 

"We condemned it immediately and have also demanded a fair probe. We hope that the ongoing dialogue between Russia and Ukraine will pave the way for peace," he said.

India sent medicines, other relief materials to Ukraine 

PM Modi also told Biden that India has laid emphasis on the security of the civilians in Ukraine and the uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid to them. 

I spoke today with Prime Minister Modi of India. We committed to strengthening our defense, economic, and people-to-people relationship to together seek a peaceful and prosperous world. pic.twitter.com/o30ij9reIY — President Biden (@POTUS) April 11, 2022

"We have sent medicines and other relief materials to Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. And on the demand of Ukraine, soon we are sending another consignment of medicines," he stated.

During the call, the two leaders also had an extensive exchange of views on several regional and global issues, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, global economic recovery, climate action, and recent developments in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

They also took stock of the significant progress made in bilateral relations in recent years.  

Modi and Biden agreed that further strengthening of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership would be of tremendous benefit to the two countries, and would also contribute to global peace, prosperity and stability.