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Russia annexation move, nuclear threat discussed: Ukraine on PM-Zelensky call
Responding to PM Modi's call, Zelensky said that Kyiv will not conduct negotiations with Putin amid the annexation move.
Kyiv will not conduct any negotiations with Russia President Vladimir Putin, the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday as the two leaders held discussions on the Ukraine war, which is now in its eighth month. Speaking to PM Modi, Zelensky - hitting out at Putin - also underlined that "all the aggressor's decisions aimed at attempting illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories are null and void and do not change reality," his office said in a statement post the call.
Putin had last week declared the annexations of four Ukrainian regions after holding, what he said, "referendums". In his latest thinly veiled nuclear threat to Ukraine last week, Putin last week pledged to use “all the powers and means at our disposal” to defend Russia; sparking tensions and concerns in the global community about a possible escalation of the war.
PM Modi had last month urged Russia to end the war and return to the path of dialogue in a first since the Kremlin began invading its neighbour. “I know today’s era is not [an era] of war...," Modi had said at a bilateral meeting with Putin, held on the margins of the SCO summit.
Reiterating India's stand on the war, PM Modi - during the phone call with Zelensky on Tuesday - called for peace and an immediate cessation of hostilities, which came nearly two weeks after Putin had declared a partial mobilisation.
Zelensky thanked PM Modi for India's support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, his office further said. Meanwhile, on the matter of global food security, Zelensky emphasized that his country was ready to continue acting as a “guarantor” while adding that the support of the entire international community, particularly India, was crucial.
"Nuclear blackmail by Russia, particularly regarding the Zaporizhzhia NPP, is a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the whole world," Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also expressed concerns about landmine explosions close to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Zelenskyy and PM Modi also discussed cooperation within international organizations, primarily the United Nations. Apart from that, Zelenskyy also invited PM Modi to visit Ukraine.
