Heart-wrenching to see kids dying in battle, Modi tells Putin

Modi calls for peaceful solution to Ukraine War in talks with Putin

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, July 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that it was heart-wrenching to see kids dying. Modi also told Putin the solutions to any problem cannot be found in a battlefield.

While the western world watched Modi’s Russia visit with keen interest, the prime minister once more delivered the peace message to Putin. In his last meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting last year, Modi had remarked that “this is not an era of war”.

“We talked for four hours yesterday at your residence. As a friend and in the context of Ukraine, I wish to say that it’s painful to see the people dying in the battlefield. It’s heart-wrenching to see kids dying due to the war,” Modi told Putin during his bilateral.

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The prime minister further elaborated his concerns, saying that solutions to any problem cannot be found in the battlefield. “Guns and ammunitions cannot give solutions to problems,” Modi told Putin.

Russia rolled out a red-carpet welcome for Modi. The prime minister embarked on his Russia visit in his first bilateral foreign visit after forming the government after the Lok Sabha elections.

The prime minister also got an assurance from Russia that all Indian nationals engaged in the Ukraine War would be released. “PM strongly raised the issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service of the Russian army,” Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India’s foreign secretary said in a media briefing. Kwatra added that Russia promised an early discharge of all Indian nationals.

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The high point of the visit of the prime minister was seen on Tuesday, as Putin presented with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called to Modi. This is the highest civilian award of Russia. It was bestowed on him in 2019.

The ceremony was held at the Catherine’s Hall of the Moscow Kremlin. The order was presented for the prime minister’s distinguished contribution to the development of a “privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India”.

“I am heartily grateful to you for conferring me with the highest civilian honour of Russia,” said Modi on the occasion.

India and Russia have also resolved to further deepen the trade relations. It was also agreed that the bilateral trade will also be carried in the national currencies in line with the push for de-dollarisation by the BRICS.

“The agenda of discussion between the two leaders was principally economic. Besides, cooperation in areas of capital linkages, energy, science and technology cooperation, defence and security were also discussed,” added Kwatra.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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