'You have big influence, can stop Putin': Ukraine President Zelenskyy to India after meeting PM Modi in Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday express confidence that India had a role to bring peace to the conflict ridden region. Speaking to ANI, in Kyiv, the Ukranian President said, "India will play its role. I think that India began to recognise that this is not just conflict, this is real war of one man and his name is Putin against whole country whose name is Ukraine. You are a big country. You have a big influence and you can stop Putin and halt his economy, and put him really in his place."

The Ukrainian President was echoing the strong message of peace given by PM Narendra Modi during his bilateral meeting with him at the Mariinskyi Palace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told Zelenskyy that dialogue was the only solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

"India was never neutral, we have always been on the side of peace," PM Modi told Zelenskyy in their bilateral meeting.

The PM further said that India was ready to play an active role in the path to peace and progress."People from other countries also know that India has actively planned peace efforts and you also know that our approach has been people-centric. I want to assure you and the entire world that this is India's commitment and we believe that respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is of utmost importance to us and we support it. Some time back, when I met President Putin in support of this, I had told him that this was not the time for war. Recently, when I went to Russia for a meeting, I said there too in clear words that the solution to any problem is never found on the battlefield.

The solution comes only through talks, dialogue, and diplomacy and we should move ahead in that direction without wasting time. Both sides should sit together and find ways to come out of this crisis... Today I would like to discuss with you specifically the path to peace and progress. I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in every effort for peace. If I can personally contribute to this, I would like to do so. As a friend, I can assure you," PM Modi said to President Zelenskyy.

Earlier the Ukranian President called the visit of PM Modi as a historic event. "Today, history was made. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi made his first visit to Ukraine since our country's independence, on the eve of our Independence Day. Today, we reached an agreement on four documents between Ukraine and India, covering the medical field, agricultural cooperation, humanitarian relations, and culture. Following the visit, we also agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation. India supports Ukraine's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. And this is critical because everyone in the world must equally respect the UN Charter," he said in a post on X.

The strong positive message sent out by the Ukranian President signifies the key role India has in pushing for peace and progress in the region.

(This story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)