Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he counts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to influence the peace process to end the war in Ukraine. He added that blocking cheap energy resources and defence industrial complexes would decrease India’s dependence on Moscow, thereby affecting its ability to wage wars against Ukraine.
“PM Narendra Modi can influence the end of the Ukraine war. This is the huge value of him in any conflict. This is the huge value of India,” Zelenskyy told The Times of India in an exclusive interview.
He also stressed that the assertions of PM Modi that he is interested in peace should not end with words. “Modi is the PM of a really huge country from the perspective of population, economy, influence and impact. Such a country cannot just say we are interested in the end of the war. Even the enemy of peace, Putin, will say that he wants peace. This is a common thing. Especially for such a huge country like India, PM Modi can influence the end of the war,” the Ukrainian President added.
He also suggested that India should reevaluate its Russia policy and impose sanctions on Russia. Asserting that the sanctions against Russia were working, Zelenskyy said that great economies like India, China, Turkiye and others actually helped Russia earn money by not imposing sanctions. “They helped Russia earn money, sometimes even with the understanding that the energy resource they are buying is helping fuel the war – if they re-evaluated their values, then the sanctions would be functioning fully,” he said.
He added that Modi can do a lot to bring back children who were allegedly forcibly deported to Russia.
Zelenskyy’s statement on Modi’s influence in initiating the peace process comes just two months after the Prime Minister visited Kyiv and invited Zelenskyy to India. The Ukrainian President had then expressed interest in connection with India, and knowing more about its people.
However, the Ukrainian President was critical of countries which claim to be “neutral” in their stance, stating that one cannot be neutral because it would mean you are on the side of Russia. “And between the aggressor and the victim, there cannot be neutrality. I consider this a hidden support for Russia, and saying they would like to help to solve the conflict, in my opinion, they look more pro-Russia,” he said.
