New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation. The issue of Ukraine’s conflict was the priority of the discussion on Friday. The Prime Minister’s Office said that the role of India was presented by Prime Minister Modi, saying dialogue and diplomacy would only solve Ukraine’s problems. The Prime Minister’s Office informed that the two leaders exchanged views regarding foodgrains and energy at the international level along with the crisis in Ukraine.
PM Modi had recently attended the G7 summit of developed countries in Germany. The Western countries participating in the conference held Russia responsible for the crisis in Ukraine. The G7 meeting discussed increasing economic, diplomatic and strategic pressure on Russia, causing the conflict. But India has avoided holding Russia entirely responsible for the struggle in Ukraine. The United States and European countries made special efforts to persuade India to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine. However, India did not respond. India also refrained from opposing Russia at the G7 summit in Germany. After that, the discussion between the Prime Minister of India and the Russian President becomes crucial.
The two leaders exchanged views on the current foodgrains and energy crisis at the international level, along with the conflict in Ukraine. Simultaneously, the two leaders also discussed the problem of fertilisers posed to the world by the Ukraine crisis. Russia and Ukraine are the leading producers of fertilisers. The supply of fertilisers has stopped since Russia and Ukraine are involved in the conflict and also because the United States has imposed sanctions on Russia. This poses a significant challenge to the agricultural sector in some countries. Against that backdrop, the discussion between PM Modi and President Putin draws attention.
The two leaders discussed encouraging bilateral trade between India and Russia. In December last year, Russian President Putin visited India. The Prime Minister’s Office informed that the progress of the cooperation agreement reached at that time was also reviewed during the discussion. The Prime Minister’s Office clarified that the two leaders would continue to exchange ideas on regional and international issues even in the future.
Meanwhile, the US and other Western nations have imposed severe sanctions on Russia since the Ukraine conflict. The blow has hit European countries, also cornering Russia to some extent. Against this backdrop, Russia has decided to supply fuel to India at a discounted rate, and India is also taking full advantage of the opportunity. In May, India had bought staggering 2.5 crore barrels of crude oil from Russia. Besides, India has also bought huge quantities of coal from Russia. At the same time, as Western countries have stopped exporting to Russia, Indian companies have forged ahead to take advantage of the opportunities created in the Russian market. India has taken rapid steps to meet Russia’s demand in some sectors, especially pharma products.
While the bilateral trade between the two countries grows, work is in full swing on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which connects Russia to India commercially via the Iranian port. India’s exports to other countries, including Russia, will increase tremendously if this corridor gets completed. This would take India’s cooperation with Russia to a whole new level. The US and Western countries are closely watching India’s collaboration with Russia. In such a scenario, the discussion between PM Modi and President Putin becomes noteworthy.
Related posts:
The source and root of all terror attacks in the world is the same, PM Modi levels crushing criticism on Pakistan
Modi, Putin dedicate Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant to the nation
India & Russia’s ‘Action Plan’ to strengthen the relationship and accelerate cooperation
Indian Prime Minister holds telephonic conversation with the Russian President
Important discussions between Indian Prime Minister and Russian President
Russia starts the supply of LNG to India
India-Russia-China holds trilateral talks, against the background of the G-20 summit
India and Russia express concerns over terrorism in Afghanistan during virtual BRICS meeting
