Modi dials Putin ahead of Kuleba’s visit; reiterates India’s position on dialogue as the ‘way forward’ in Russia-Ukraine conflict

March 20, 2024 04:02 pm | Updated 04:35 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Ahead of the incoming visit of Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin of Russia discussed the situation in Ukraine on March 20, a statement from the Russian President’s office said. The war in Ukraine featured in a telephonic conversation that started with Prime Minister Modi congratulating President Putin regarding his victory in the recent election.

“An exchange of views was also held on a number of issues on the international agenda, in particular in the context of the situation around Ukraine. the mood to further coordination between India in multilateral formats, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS was confirmed,” the Russian statement said. A statement from the Indian side further added, “While discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, PM reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward.

"Warm congratulations to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation," Mr. Modi had said on March 18. "Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come," he added.

Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead. @KremlinRussia — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2024

Kuleba to visit India

This conversation has fitted a pattern of Ukraine-related conversation that India has held in the recent weeks indicating at a possible understanding to reduce the violence in Ukraine where the war has become a festering conflict. Earlier, The Hindu had reported citing diplomatic sources that Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Kuleba is planning a visit to Delhi by the end of this month. India has maintained a neutral position on the war itself but has intensified trade, especially energy ties with Russia in the backdrop of the war that started in February 2022. This relation had drawn criticism from Mr Kuleba in 2022. Last week, India hosted the Foreign Minister of Belarus, Sergei Aleinik visited India and held discussion on the Ukraine crisis with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

“Both sides noted with satisfaction that mutually beneficial ties in the trade, economic and investment fields, in the fields of energy and transport are progressively and dynamically developing in line with a particularly privileged strategic partnership,” said the message from Kremlin. Ukraine’s leader President Zelensky has not visited India since the war broke out and President Putin too cancelled travelling for the G20 summit held here in September 2023 but PM Modi met President Zelensky in Hiroshima during last G7 summit. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Moscow in the last week of December 2023 when he met with President Putin when the Putin invited PM Modi to visit Moscow.

Ukrainian sources have not revealed the details of Mr. Kuleba’s planned visit so far, but there are indications that the visit will be aimed at activating a channel of communication with the goal to ensure dialogue over the stalemated war in Ukraine. The coming months are expected to provide the Indian side to play a more active role in this case as Russia is the chair of BRICS this year and will host Indian interlocutors on multiple occasions when the events related to the BRICS will be hosted in various Russian cities.

Putin declared winner of Presidential race

President Vladimir Putin basked in an election victory, as officials said on March 18 that he had won his fifth term with a record number of votes, underlining the Russian leader’s total control of the country’s political system.

After facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices, Mr. Putin was set to extend his nearly quarter-century rule for six more years. Even with little margin for protest, Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon on Sunday, the last day of the election, apparently heeding an opposition call to express their displeasure with the president.

Mr. Putin has led Russia as President or Prime Minister since December 1999, a tenure marked by international military aggression and an increasing intolerance for dissent.