PM Modi can convince Putin to end hostilities: White House
11 Feb 2023 10:59:59
Washington D.C., Feb 11: The US would welcome any effort that could lead to an end of hostilities in Ukraine, White House spokesperson John Kirby said when asked if it was too late for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the war between Ukraine and Russia.
"I'll let the PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) speak to whatever efforts he's willing to undertake. The United States would welcome any effort that could lead to an end of hostilities in Ukraine, "White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday. He was responding to a question if it is too late for PM Modi to stop the war between Ukraine and Russia or convince President Vladimir Putin.
"I think there's still time for Putin to stop the war. I think there's still time for it. PM Modi can convince; I will let PM Modi speak to whatever efforts he's willing to undertake. The US would welcome any effort that could lead to an end of hostilities in Ukraine," John Kirby said. "We think the war could end today...should end today," the White House spokesperson said. The statement assumes significance as it comes a day after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. "The single person responsible for what the Ukrainian people are going through is Vladimir Putin and he could stop it right now. Instead, he's firing cruise missiles into energy and power infrastructure and trying to knock out the lights and knock out the heat so the Ukrainian people suffer even more than they already have," Kirby said. "So that when President Zelensky determines it's time to negotiate and he's the only one that can make that determination, he can do it with the strongest hand possible," he added. PM Modi had spoken to Russian President Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky several times since the Russia-Ukraine war began. On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, PM Modi had told Putin, “I know today’s era is not [an era] of war. We discussed this issue with you on phone several times, that democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue touch the entire world."
PM Modi's call for an immediate cessation of violence between Russia and Ukraine was welcomed by the US and resonated widely in Europe in a very positive way. In December last year, Zelenskyy dialed PM Modi and sought India’s support on the 10-point “peace formula”. “The leaders exchanged views about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi strongly reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and said that both sides should revert to dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to their differences," an official statement from PMO said.