New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Ukraine, weeks after a state visit to Russia has earned praise from a former Singaporean diplomat who says India’s role in global diplomacy has reached a crucial juncture, and the role of the West has greatly diminished.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV’s Sonia Singh, former Singaporean diplomat Professor Kishore Mahbubani said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to both Russia and Ukraine signifies how India has “arrived as a major geopolitical actor”.

“How many leaders in the world can comfortably visit both Russia and Ukraine and be received warmly by both countries. Very few countries in the world. And the fact that Prime Minister Modi can do that is a sign of how India has arrived as a major geopolitical actor,” Mr Mahbubani said.

Prime Minister Modi visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin in July to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. During his discussions with President Putin, PM Modi reiterated India’s stand and emphasised on “peaceful resolution of the conflict around Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy including engagement between both parties”.

Showcasing India’s ability to manage good relations with most nations, Prime Minister Modi visited Ukraine within weeks of his Russia visit, making it the first-ever visit by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the European country’s formation after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Hailing the trip as “historic”, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky signed four documents with India on a wide range of issues.

“We (India) are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken a side. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha where there is no place for war,” PM Modi had said in his opening remarks during the talks.

Professor Mahbubani also spoke about how India could play a bigger role in the world if given a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

“The greatest hope for India to play a role globally, for example, giving it a permanent membership in the UN Security Council will enable India to do much more in terms of creating a better world,” he said.

India has been vying for a permanent seat at UNSC, with countries like Russia, France, the US, and the UK all endorsing India’s bid, China being the only hindrance.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Ukraine, weeks after a state visit to Russia has earned praise from a former Singaporean diplomat who says India’s role in global diplomacy has reached a crucial juncture, and the role of the West has greatly diminished.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV’s Sonia Singh, former Singaporean diplomat Professor Kishore Mahbubani said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to both Russia and Ukraine signifies how India has “arrived as a major geopolitical actor”.

“How many leaders in the world can comfortably visit both Russia and Ukraine and be received warmly by both countries. Very few countries in the world. And the fact that Prime Minister Modi can do that is a sign of how India has arrived as a major geopolitical actor,” Mr Mahbubani said.

Prime Minister Modi visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin in July to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. During his discussions with President Putin, PM Modi reiterated India’s stand and emphasised on “peaceful resolution of the conflict around Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy including engagement between both parties”.

Showcasing India’s ability to manage good relations with most nations, Prime Minister Modi visited Ukraine within weeks of his Russia visit, making it the first-ever visit by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the European country’s formation after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Hailing the trip as “historic”, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky signed four documents with India on a wide range of issues.

“We (India) are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken a side. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha where there is no place for war,” PM Modi had said in his opening remarks during the talks.

Professor Mahbubani also spoke about how India could play a bigger role in the world if given a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

“The greatest hope for India to play a role globally, for example, giving it a permanent membership in the UN Security Council will enable India to do much more in terms of creating a better world,” he said.

India has been vying for a permanent seat at UNSC, with countries like Russia, France, the US, and the UK all endorsing India’s bid, China being the only hindrance.

An overview of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and fires, in Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. File photo
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that demanded that Russia immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and urgently withdraw its military and other unauthorised personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on Thursday, July 11, 2024, with 99 votes in favour, nine against and 60 abstentions, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Egypt, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Those voting against the resolution included Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Russia and Syria.

Also read: What are the risks surrounding Zaporizhzhya, the nuclear power plant in a war zone?

The resolution titled ‘Safety and security of nuclear facilities of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’ demanded that Russia “immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.”

It also demanded that Russia urgently withdraw its military and other unauthorised personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and immediately return the plant to the full control of the sovereign and competent authorities of Ukraine to ensure its safety and security. It called for the “immediate cessation of the attacks” by Russia against the critical energy infrastructure of Ukraine, which increases the risk of a nuclear accident or incident at all nuclear facilities of Ukraine.

The draft resolution was introduced by Ukraine and was sponsored by over 50 member states, including France, Germany and the United States.

It called upon Moscow, until it returns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant of Ukraine to the full control of the sovereign and competent authorities of Ukraine, to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia with timely and full access to all areas at the plant that are important for nuclear safety and security to allow the Agency to report fully on the nuclear safety and security situation at the site.

Resolution do not reflect reality: Russia

In the explanation of the vote before the vote on the resolution, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy said the General Assembly has “unfortunately” adopted many documents that are non-consensual, politicised and do not reflect reality.

“Make no mistake: votes in favour of today’s draft will be regarded by Kyiv, Washington, Brussels and London as evidence of support for their policy of further escalating the Ukrainian conflict to the detriment of steps taken by a sensible part of the international community to find a peaceful, sustainable and long-term solution to the conflict,” he said.

Washington:

Amid concerns over India’s ties with Russia, a top US official on Thursday cautioned New Delhi that a “bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet” and Moscow would side with Beijing over New Delhi in case of a conflict between the two Asian giants.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made the remarks while replying to a question on MSNBC about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Moscow where he held extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We’ve made clear to every country in the world including India that a bet on Russia as a long-term, reliable partner is not a good bet,” said Mr Sullivan, who was in India last month for a meeting with his counterpart Ajit Doval.

The top American official had also met Prime Minister Modi during his visit.

“Russia is becoming closer to China. In fact, it’s becoming the junior partner to China. And in that way, they would side with China over India any day of the week. And … Prime Minister Modi, of course, has profound concerns about the potential for Chinese aggression against India. Which we have seen over recent years,” Mr Sullivan said.

The NSA, however, acknowledged that countries like India have a historic relationship with Russia and it’s not going to change dramatically overnight.

“This is playing the long game. It (US) is making investments in democratic partners and allies around the world including countries like India and we think that that will pay off as we go forward,” he added.

His remarks came a day after spokespersons of the Pentagon, the White House and the State Department reacted separately to questions on India’s relationship with Russia and Modi’s visit to Moscow.

Prime Minister Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that has been watched closely by the West amidst the raging Ukraine conflict.

During his talks with Mr Putin on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi told the Russian President that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed amid bombs and bullets.

India has been stoutly defending its “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia and maintained the momentum in the ties notwithstanding the Ukraine conflict.

India has not yet condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has consistently pitched for a resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for home on Wednesday after concluding his visit to Russia and Austria, during which he held talks with the top leadership of the two countries and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation.

“PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi after concluding a successful visit to Austria,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.

PM Modi first travelled to Russia, where he participated in the 22nd India-Russia summit with President Vladimir Putin, in his first trip to Moscow since the Ukraine conflict.

During his visit, he told Russian President Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield, and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs, guns and bullets.

The prime minister was on Tuesday officially conferred the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ award by President Putin for his contribution to fostering bilateral ties between the two countries. The award was announced in 2019.

From Moscow, PM Modi travelled to Austria, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit the country in 41 years.

During his visit, PM Modi met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in several sectors, including the environment and combating climate change.

He also discussed the ongoing disputes in the world, including the Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia, with the two leaders.

“My visit to Austria has been historic and immensely productive. New vigour has been added to the friendship between our nations. I am glad to have attended diverse programmes while in Vienna. Gratitude to Chancellor @karlnehammer, the Austrian Government and people for their hospitality and affection,” the prime minister said in a post on X.

PM Modi also addressed the Indian community in both countries during his visit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India on Wednesday dismissed as “factually incorrect” reports about differences with Russia on the issue of Ukraine that led to the scrapping of a larger delegation-level meeting during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Moscow.

“To the best of my knowledge, there are no cancellations of any particular programming element during the Prime Minister’s visit to Moscow,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a media briefing in Delhi.

He was responding to a question about some friction in Moscow that led to the scrapping of one session.

“I find it surprising but there are no facts to this factually incorrect, quite misleading (report). The Prime Minister’s visit to Moscow was extremely successful,” he said.

The discussions between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin far exceeded the time that was allocated by the two sides. “And there was no cancellation of any kind of programme,” he added.

Earlier, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency quoted Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Prime Minister Modi and President Putin decided to keep things intimate at their Tuesday meeting in Moscow, covering all topics productively without the need for a larger breakout session.

When asked why the talks between the two leaders were not followed by a meeting with larger delegations, Peskov explained this was not because of some problems but rather that the conversation between Putin and Modi that lasted more than three hours (and) was attended by officials in charge of “almost all major spheres of [bilateral] cooperation.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a wholehearted endorsement of India’s ties with Russia, describing the old ally as India’s “all-weather friend” and lauding President Vladimir Putin for strengthening the bilateral relations over the past two decades of his leadership.

Addressing the Indian diaspora, he said the India-Russia relationship is built on the strong pillar of mutual trust and respect, asserting that their ties were tested time and again only to emerge stronger every time.

PM Modi’s high praise of Russia as an ally and President Putin’s leadership came amid ongoing efforts by the Western world to isolate the Russian leader over the war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Modi also made a veiled criticism of the “influence-oriented global order” which endured for decades.

“But, what the world needs right now is confluence not influence and no one can deliver this message better than India which has a strong tradition of worshipping confluences,” he said.

He said India is being seen as a strong pillar in the “emerging multi-polar world order”.

“When it speaks of peace, dialogue and diplomacy, then the whole world listens.” PM Modi has often stressed the need for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Commenting on India’s ties with Russia, he said he has been for decades an admirer of the unique partnership between the two countries.

“On hearing the word Russia, the first word that comes to the mind of every Indian is India’s ‘sukh-dukh ka saathi’ (all-weather friend) and a trusted ally,” he said.

“No matter how low the temperature dips below zero degrees during Russian winter, India-Russia friendship has always remained in ‘plus’ and been full of warmth. This relationship is built on the strong foundation of mutual trust and mutual respect,” PM Modi said.

He said he had a special appreciation for “his friend” President Putin for steering the India-Russia friendship to greater heights over the last two decades.

As prime minister, he said it was his sixth visit to Russia and the two leaders have met 17 times during this period.

“All these meetings have added to our mutual trust and respect,” he said, praising Putin for helping the evacuation of Indian students during the war. He expressed gratitude to the Russian leader and Russian citizens for this.

To the applause from the audience, he announced that India will open two new consulates in Russia to boost travel and trade between the two countries.

Recalling the celebrated Hindi song ‘Sar pe lal topi Rusi, phir bhi dil hai Hindustani’ picturised on Raj Kapoor, he said it may be an old number but its sentiments remain evergreen.

He also mentioned Mithun Chakraborty, another Indian actor who earned a big following in Russia, as he spoke about the deep cultural ties between the two countries.

PM Modi said India was undergoing a transformation and the pace of development over the past 10 years has taken the world by surprise. Even the world now acknowledges what he used to say during his poll campaign that the 21st century belongs to India, he added.

The fast pace of India’s development will write a “new chapter” in the world’s progress, he said.

He said India was changing as it believes in the strength of its 140 crore citizens who are now dreaming of turning their resolve of ‘Viksit Bharat’ into reality.

“Today’s India is brimming with self-confidence, unlike the situation before 2014 when the country was sunk in despair, and this is our biggest capital,” PM Modi said.

In this context, he mentioned India’s win in the T20 World Cup and added that India’s teams in different sports were giving a historic performance.

“The youth India of today does not concede defeat till the last ball and the last moment,” he said, adding that the country is sending a strong team for the Paris Olympics and its athletes will show their mettle.

“When people like you bless us, even the biggest goals can be achieved. You all know that today’s India achieves whatever goal it sets its mind to,” he said.

He said it was in his DNA to challenge all the challenges and India will write a new chapter of global growth in coming years.

PM Modi said it was exactly a month ago that he took oath as prime minister for the third consecutive term when he had made the resolve to work at thrice the strength and speed to fulfil the aspirations of the country.

“Our government envisions making India the world’s third-largest economy, build three crore homes for the poor and turn three crore poor women in villages to ‘lakhpati didi’,” the prime minister said amid chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’.

He said India was the country which sent Chandrayaan to a place on the moon where no country has gone before and has given the work the most reliable model for digital transactions.

“India’s development of the past 10 years was just a trailer, we will see much faster growth in the next 10 years,” PM Modi asserted.

The Indian diaspora takes pride in the country’s achievements, he added.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Russia as India’s “all-weather friend” and hailed President Vladimir Putin’s leadership in strengthening the bilateral relationship over the past two decades.

Mr. Modi said he had a special appreciation for “his friend” President Putin for steering India-Russia friendship to greater heights over the last two decades.

The Prime Minister said for a long time the world had seen an “influence-oriented global order”.

“But, what the world needs right now is confluence not influence and no one can deliver this message better than India which has a strong tradition of worshipping confluences,” Mr. Modi said.

– PTI

Washington:

The United States called Monday on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to emphasize Ukraine’s territorial integrity as he met in Russia with President Vladimir Putin on the eve of a NATO summit in Washington.

“We would urge India, as we do any country which engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN Charter with respect to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Ukraine’s sovereignty,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue, and that includes on our concerns about the relationship with Russia,” he said.

Miller said, however, that he was unaware of specific conversations with India about PM Modi’s visit to Russia.

The United States has built strong relations with India, seeing it as a powerful partner in the face of the rise of China, with President Joe Biden inviting PM Modi for a state visit a year ago.

India has a longstanding relationship with Moscow dating to the Cold War and has refused to join Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, instead turning to Russia for discounted energy imports.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Hundreds of people, including from the vibrant Indian community in Russia, lined up on both sides of the road as Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled from the airport to his hotel in Moscow, on Monday.

Prime Minister Modi arrived to a ceremonial welcome at the Vnukovo-II International Airport in what is his first visit to the Russian capital since 2015. He was received by Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets members of the Indian diaspora as he reaches Hotel The Carlton in Moscow

PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Russia. pic.twitter.com/GgRmis7VuH

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

Members of the Indian community, waiting to catch a glimpse of PM Modi, were seen gathered in huge numbers as the PM’s motorcade drove through the Red Square.

At the hotel, the Indian community gave a rousing reception to PM Modi who last visited Russia for the 20th India-Russia Bilateral Summit held on the sidelines of the 5th Eastern Economic Summit – where he was the guest of honour – at Vladivostok in September 2019.

As people danced and waved the Indian flag, Prime Minister Modi interacted with a few in the gathering while getting inside the building.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be hosting a private dinner for PM Modi later in the evening with the two leaders expected to discuss a range of issues of regional and global importance of mutual interest.

On Tuesday, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community in Russia, lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Kremlin and thereafter visit the Rosatom pavilion at an exhibition venue in Moscow.

These engagements will precede a restricted-level talk between PM Modi and President Putin, which will then be followed by delegation-level talks.

“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues,” PM Modi said in his departure statement before leaving New Delhi.

He spotlighted that the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past 10 years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)