New Delhi: A day after briefing US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (August 27) about his trip to Kyiv and the need for “sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders”, even as Ukraine reported the “most massive” aerial attack by Moscow since the Ukraine war began.
The latest wave of drones and missiles from Russia hit Ukraine over several hours until Monday morning. Comprising 127 missiles and 109 drones, Ukrainian air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk said it was the “most massive aerial attack” in the war so far.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed that it had launched a “combined strike by airborne long-range precision weapons, including Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles and attack-unmanned aerial vehicles at critical sites of the Ukrainian airfield infrastructure”.
“All designated targets were hit,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The latest series of attacks occurred three days after Modi’s visit to Kyiv on August 23, where he publicly urged Ukraine and Russia to initiate direct talks, expressing India’s readiness to support such efforts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, pointed out that Russia was not interested in peace and urged India to reduce its imports of Russian oil.
The US president had “commended” Modi for his visit to Ukraine, which occurred about six weeks after he faced criticism for hugging Putin during his visit to Moscow.
According to a Kremlin statement on the Modi-Putin phone call, the Indian prime minister informed Putin about his recent visit to Kyiv and “stressed his commitment to bringing about a settlement for Ukraine by political and diplomatic means”.
The Indian press release said Modi “shared insights” from his recent visit to Ukraine. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s statement added: “He underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy as well as sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to achieve an abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
The Russian readout said Putin provided a “principled assessment of the destructive policies of the Kyiv authorities and their Western patrons” and highlighted Russia’s approach to resolving the conflict.
The Russians also noted that Modi reaffirmed his participation in the BRICS summit in Kazan this October.
