New Delhi: Just three days after his visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed United States President Joe Biden on his discussions in Ukraine, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had voiced concerns about India’s position leaning towards Russia.
The call between Modi and Biden occurred as Ukraine endured a significant barrage of rockets and drones from Russia, which President Zelenskyy described as “one of the largest strikes” in the two-year-old war.
The Indian readout issued by the Ministry of External Affairs emphasised that Biden initiated the call to Modi.
“While discussing the situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister briefed President Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine. He reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy and expressed full support for early return of peace and stability,” said the MEA media statement.
The White House noted that Biden “commended” Modi for his visit to Poland and Ukraine. He also praised Modi for “his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, particularly in the energy sector”.
“The Leaders affirmed their continued support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with international law, on the basis of the UN Charter,” it added.
Modi visited Kyiv on August 23 for a nine-hour trip, just over a month after his visit to Moscow.
While Modi expressed India’s support for any effort to bring peace to the Ukraine war, Zelenskyy emphasised the need for India to endorse the joint statement from the first peace summit in Switzerland, which India had not signed.
Despite India’s explanation during formal discussions about the rationale behind purchasing Russian oil, Zelenskyy urged New Delhi to reduce its imports to financially pressure Moscow into ending the war, during a media briefing at the conclusion of the visit.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar met with Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mikhail Galuzin on Monday, August 26. Ukraine was also discussed in this meeting, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“The parties compared approaches to certain international and bilateral issues. The head of the Indian diplomatic mission was once again briefed on Russia’s principled position regarding the conflict in Ukraine,” stated the Russian press release.
In addition to Ukraine, the Indian and US leaders also discussed Bangladesh, expressing “shared concern,” according to the Indian statement.
“They emphasized the restoration of law and order and ensuring the safety and security of minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh,” the statement noted.
There was no mention of Bangladesh in the White House readout of the phone call.
This is the first time that Modi has raised the issue of Bangladeshi Hindus with a third country. He had earlier spoken about it directly with Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhamad Yunus in a phone call. While Yunus had committed to protect all Bangladeshi minorities, including Hindus, he had termed the reports in the Indian media as “exaggerated”.
The opposition Congress raised questions on why Bangladesh was not mentioned by the US in their readout if it was a “shared concern,” as mentioned by the Indian side.
Both of them however did acknowledge the discussion on Quad. The Indian side said that the two leaders “reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the cooperation in multilateral fora, including the Quad”.
Similarly, the White House noted that Modi and Biden underlined their “continued commitment to work together, including through regional groups like the Quad, to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific”.
Albanese call
On Monday, Modi also discussed the Quad with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a separate call. Later, Albanese posted on X about their discussion “about all the work Australia and India are doing as partners bilaterally and regionally, including through the Quad.”
India was initially set to host the Quad leaders’ summit, but it did not materialise as US President Biden declined the invitation to be the chief guest at Republic Day due to scheduling conflicts.
The plan is now to hold the Quad summit in New York next month, coinciding with the annual United Nations General Assembly. This could be Biden’s last opportunity to participate in a summit before the November presidential elections.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has confirmed that he will be in New York, marking his final foreign trip before stepping down.
The Indian Prime Minister will be traveling to the US for a four-day visit to participate in United Nations-related events and hold diplomatic meetings on the sidelines.
So far, Albanese is the only Quad leader who has not confirmed whether he will be in the US in September.
In his post on X about their conversation, Modi said that both of them “took stock of progress in our bilateral relations and cooperation in the multilateral fora, including the Quad”.
