Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping have offered to mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine, seeking to resolve the conflict between the countries that started in February 2022, said the Kremlin on Sunday. The offer by Modi and Xi was made during their bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Putin, who was on a three-day visit to India that began Friday, welcomed their readiness, and provided Modi and Xi a detailed information about the conflict with Ukraine, said Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, while adding that the Russians have not ruled the possibility of returning to talks in the “foreseeable future”.
“During their bilateral meetings, Modi and Xi took a keen interest in the Ukraine settlement and actively offered their good offices to help find a solution,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Sputnik International. “Yes, we don’t rule out such a possibility, we are talking about the foreseeable future, presumably October. October can’t be ruled out.”
Why this matters?
This is not the first time when New Delhi and Beijing have offered to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, but the time is important as legislative elections are expected to be held in Russia soon. This will be the first legislative elections that will be held following the start of Ukraine war.
US President Donald Trump had also mediated between the two sides and also held a summit with Putin in August last year. However, the negotiations have failed after several rounds of talks. Amid this, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said he was willing to meet Putin, but Peskov has ruled out the possibility. Putin has repeatedly rejected offers for a face-to-face talks with Zelenskyy.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have escalated long-range strikes on each other in recent months, leading to the highest civilian death toll since the early days of the war. Previous rounds of talks have foundered, with Moscow so far unwilling to drop its maximalist conditions to end the fighting, including a demand that Ukraine cede territory in the east that Russia’s troops have not captured.
ALSO READ:
At BRICS Summit, PM Modi warns against weaponisation of critical minerals: ‘Together we rise’
