The US has urged India to utilize its longstanding relationship with Russia and urge President Vladimir Putin to end his “illegal war” in Ukraine. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller noted the strong Delhi-Moscow ties and urged India to tell Putin to respect the UN Charter. Miller’s remarks came in response to a media query on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, which the Ukrainian President termed as a devastating blow to peace efforts.
Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the meeting and outlined their goals to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers and achieve a mutual trade volume of over USD 100 billion by 2030. They also decided to continue dialogue on the liberalization of bilateral trade, including the possibility of establishing the EAEU-India Free Trade Area. They also agreed to work on developing a bilateral settlement system using national currencies and the consistent introduction of digital financial instruments for mutual settlements.
In Russia, PM Modi was ceremoniously presented with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, Russia’s highest civilian honour, by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called peace “most important” for future generations and said that solutions are not possible on battlefields. He stated that India will have to follow the path to peace only through talks.
This was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022. India has always advocated “peace and diplomacy” for resolving conflict between India and Russia but continued to purchase Russian oil. PM Modi expressed pain at the loss of lives and the suffering of innocent children, stating that it is “heart-wrenching” when innocent children are murdered or dying.
