Russia-Ukraine conflict should be on agenda at some stage: German envoy on Putin’s India visit

New Delhi: German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann on Monday expressed hope that the Russia-Ukraine conflict would be on the agenda during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi scheduled later this week.

Speaking to IANS, Ackermann noted that Putin is coming to India on December 4-5 to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that both nations share old and long-standing ties.

“He (Putin) is here in order to see the Prime Minister of India. India and Russia enjoy old and long-standing relations. I do hope, though, that the Indian hosts will also keep in mind that Russia is in a war, that it has started. A war in Ukraine, which costs life every day and that also should be on the agenda at some stage,” Ackermann stated.

Ahead of an event, the German diplomat stated, “We’ll have a meeting today, a gathering post-COP30 with Dr Arunabh Ghosh, one of the most learned and experienced Indians on the climate change. He’s a very, very knowledgeable person. He was the envoy for South Asia. He was attributed this title by the president of COP30 and he will be telling us, he will be sharing his experience with us what happened at COP30.

“We want to know bit about the dynamics, about what happened on the ground, what were the shortcomings, what were the successes, and I’m very, very curious to hear him talking about his time in Belem, in Brazil. Now, of course, we will also look ahead to the next COP in Turkey next year, where we will also try to get one step ahead, and therefore it needs good preparations. That’s the reason why we are gathering here tonight.”

Putin will be on a two-day State visit to India for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. During the visit, PM Modi and President Putin will hold talks in Delhi. President Droupadi Murmu will also host a banquet in honour of the visiting President.

Highlighting the significance of the engagement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated, “The forthcoming State Visit will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.”

PM Modi has been stressing and reiterating about bringing peace in the region thereby clearly setting India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in February, PM Modi made it clear that India sides with peace.

“This is not an era of war but of dialogue and diplomacy,” PM Modi had said, underscoring India’s commitment to diplomatic efforts. PM Modi has also maintained open channels of communication with both President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, repeatedly calling for peaceful resolution of the conflict.

IANS