Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on a visit to war-torn Ukraine. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Modi on Friday conveyed to President Volodymyr Zelensky here India’s desire to contribute in ‘every possible way’ to restore peace in Ukraine. Ukraine and its neighbouring country Russia have been at war for a long time. Before going to Ukraine, PM Modi also visited Russia. During this time, pictures of PM Modi and President Putin hugging each other were much talked about.
The Ukrainian President himself had opposed this. Now during a press conference, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar was also asked a question related to this that why did Modi hug Putin. However, Jaishankar shut the mouth with his answer. He said that this is what happens here and it is a part of our culture.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said, “When people meet in our country, they hug each other. It may not be a part of your culture, but it is a part of our culture…” He said, “There is a cultural difference that people in the West cannot understand. Today, Zelensky also hugged Prime Minister Modi.” Watch video-
Earlier, Jaishankar said, “It was a very detailed, open and in many ways constructive dialogue.” He said the talks focused to some extent on concerns such as the military situation, food and energy security and “all possible ways for peace”. He said Ukraine wants to continue India’s participation in the global peace conference.
Jaishankar said that effective ways to take the talks forward were also discussed. He said, “India believes that both sides (Ukraine and Russia) need to negotiate with each other to find a solution.” The Foreign Minister said that both the leaders reiterated their commitment to continue cooperation to maintain the principles of international law such as respect for territorial integrity and protection of sovereignty of countries.
Modi also spoke about his recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Jaishankar said the Prime Minister sought the President’s assessment of both the ground situation and the diplomatic scenario. He said Zelensky discussed both issues. The Foreign Minister described Modi’s visit to Kiev as historic.
(Input Agency)
