Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, emphasised strengthening the relations between India and China, saying that competition should not turn into conflicts and differences shouldn’t be replaced by disputes.
While speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his commitment to diplomacy as the only viable path to resolving the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking to the influential host and MIT research scientist Lex Fridman, Modi emphasized that military victories would not lead to a lasting resolution and called upon both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to engage in direct negotiations.
“I have a close relationship with Russia and Ukraine alike,” PM Modi stated. “I can sit with President Putin and say that this is not the time for war. And I can also tell President Zelensky, in a friendly way, that regardless of how many people stand with you in the world, there will never be a resolution on the battlefield.”
PM Modi highlighted the necessity of direct dialogue between the warring nations, cautioning against relying solely on allied support. “Ukraine may hold countless discussions with their allies, but it will bear no fruit. Discussions must include both parties instead,” he said, underscoring that negotiations remain the only viable route to peace.
The Prime Minister also pointed out that the global community, particularly the Global South, has suffered due to the prolonged conflict. “There has been a lot of suffering. Even the Global South has suffered. The world has been grappling with a food, fuel, and fertilizer crisis. So, the global community should unite in the pursuit of peace.”
His remarks come amid ongoing global efforts to mediate an end to the conflict, which has led to devastating humanitarian and economic consequences.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and injured, displaced millions, reduced towns to rubble and triggered the sharpest confrontation for decades between Moscow and the West.
