New Delhi: The United States of America has said that it will support any attempt by India that can end the raging Russia-Ukraine war and said that ‘PM Modi can convince’ and ‘there is still time’, reported PTI.
The White House added that the US will welcome any effort that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is willing to undertake to stop the year-long war between the two nations.
The remarks by National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby have come days after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, reported PTI.
Replying to the question if there is still time for Prime Minister Modi to convince Russian President Putin to stop the war, Kirby said, "I think there's still time for Putin to stop the war. I think there's still time for it."
"PM Modi can convince; I will let PM Modi speak to (or make) whatever efforts he's willing to undertake. The US would welcome any effort that could lead to an end of hostilities in Ukraine that are in keeping with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy’s objectives and his leadership, his determination of what is acceptable to the Ukrainian people," Kirby added, as quoted by PTI.
Notably, India has time and again called on Russia and Ukraine to restrain from war and resolve the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. Prime Minister Modi has also spoken to the presidents of Russia and Ukraine on multiple occasions and urged them for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
In his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan on September 16, PM Modi said "today's era is not of war" asking him to end the conflict, as per the PTI report.
In his remarks, Kirby blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war and said, " The single person responsible for what the Ukrainian people are going through is Putin. "
"And he could stop it right now. Instead, he’s firing cruise missiles into energy and power infrastructure, and trying to knock out the lights and knock out the heat so the Ukrainian people suffer even more than they already have," he added.
According to PTI, Kirby said, "He (Putin) could end it right now. And since he’s not willing to do that, clearly, we’ve got to make sure we can help the Ukrainians succeed on the battlefield so that when President Zelenskyy determines it’s time to negotiate — and he’s the only one that can make that determination — he can do it with the strongest hand possible."
Notably, India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion in Ukraine and it has maintained that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.