At India-France meet, Paris indicated what to expect at G20 summit on Ukraine

The Ukraine crisis and China’s actions were both part of discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week

France and its partners believe the situation in Ukraine has not improved since last year’s G20 Summit in Indonesia and won’t settle for anything less than the language used in the 2022 leaders’ declaration to describe the crisis, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting in Paris. (AFP picture)

The Ukraine crisis and China’s actions were both part of discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week and the leadership of the two countries were largely on the same page on such matters, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Indian leader reiterated his position that this is not an era of war, which he had earlier conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Samarkand last year. The Indian side also reiterated that it is available to advance dialogue and contribute to any peaceful solution of the Ukraine crisis, the people said.

However, the people said they were not aware of any India-France peace initiative as was reported in a section of the French media.

France and its partners feel the situation in Ukraine hasn’t improved since the last G20 Summit in Bali, and these countries won’t settle for anything less than the language used in the last leaders’ declaration to describe the crisis, the people said.

France wants to help India to have a meaningful G20 Summit with good outcomes in September, they added.

Both India and France are on the same page in wanting progress at the G20 on global issues such as development and climate change. They also do not want the North-South divide to grow and should find bridges to make progress, the people said.

India and France’s positions with regard to China are reflected in the new roadmap on Indo-Pacific that was adopted during Modi’s visit to Paris. The leadership on both sides are on the same page, and the two countries should have a comprehensive and consistent approach towards China that is “not confrontational” and does not lead to a raising of tensions, the people said.

On the issue of civil nuclear cooperation, the people said France believes the only real solution for decarbonising the economy and helping India reach its target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070 is nuclear energy. About 80% of France’s energy requirements comes from nuclear reactors but such projects require large investments.

Land has already been acquired for the long-gestating Jaitapur nuclear power project by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, and negotiations between the two sides are now focused on technical issues and the question of liability or insurance, the people said.

The two sides have also agreed to work on small and modular nuclear reactors with a capacity of about 100 MW reactors. No country has developed such reactors and they are not expected to be ready before 2030. India and France can cooperate in research and certification of all aspects of such small reactors, they said.