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India has an important role...: What EU said on talks with PM Modi over Ukraine peace
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief António Costa held talks with PM Modi, and discussed ending the Ukraine conflict.
India has an important role to play in bringing Russia to end its "war of aggression", the European Union leadership said on Thursday after concluding its talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over efforts to bring peace in Ukraine.
The remarks were made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a tweet, wherein she also said that the EU welcomes PM Modi's continued engagement with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While the EU reached out to India to help persuade Russia and end the Ukraine war, PM Modi also said that views were exchanged on efforts for an early end to the conflict.
"We warmly welcome India’s continued engagement with President Zelenskyy. India has an important role to play in bringing Russia to end its war of aggression and helping create a path towards peace," von der Leyen said in a tweet. She also highlighted the global implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and said there were plans to agree on a joint strategic agenda at the next EU–India summit.
"We also remain fully committed to concluding the Free Trade Agreement negotiations by the end of the year. To achieve this, progress is needed now," she concluded.
Apart from von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa was also part of the talks with PM Modi. "We agreed that our Strategic Partnership has a key role to play in fostering stability and promoting a rules-based order," PM Modi said in a tweet.
The telephonic conversation between PM Modi and the EU leadership comes days after the Prime Minister's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. At their bilateral talks, PM Modi told Putin that he hopes Russia and Ukraine will move forward to end their war soon.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine recently became a focal point in US President Donald Trump's additional 25% tariff move against India. Several Trump administration officials who supported the decision, announced over India's oil trade with Russia, argued that Moscow uses the money it gets from New Delhi through the trade to fund the war in Ukraine.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro had argued that when Moscow increases its funding of the "war machine", Ukraine raises requests for arms and funding with the US.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent had also accused India of making “huge” profits through its oil trade with Russia, alleging that India had “less than 1 per cent” of its oil from the country, but the figure has now shot up to 42%.
