US discusses with India need for peace in Ukraine amid reported Modi visit plan

WASHINGTON: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday emphasized the importance of a “just and enduring peace” for Ukraine in a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the State Department said. The discussion came amid a visit being reportedly planned to Ukraine by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi is likely to visit Ukraine in August, various Indian media outlets have reported in recent days, which would be his first visit to the country since Russia invaded in February 2022 and would come just weeks after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had expressed unhappiness and disappointment with Modi’s visit to Russia.

While Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, nations friendly with Russia such as India and China have continued to trade.

“Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of realizing a just and enduring peace for Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter,” the State Department said in a statement on Sunday on the meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar. Social media posts from both Blinken and Jaishankar on Sunday mentioned their meeting but did not specifically mention Ukraine.

India has refrained from directly criticizing Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while urging the two nations to resolve their conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.