Russo-Ukraine War: As the devastating war in Eastern Europe rages on for nearly a year, the United States reiterated that it would welcome any effort by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking to the media, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US would welcome any effort that would end hostilities in Ukraine. “I think there’s still time for Putin to stop the war. I think there’s still time for that. I’ll let Prime Minister Modi speak for whatever effort he’s willing to make.”
Meanwhile, Kirby also welcomed PM Modi’s statement during his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hailing PM Modi’s “this is not an era of war”, the US said it was a statement of principle that resonated very positively in Europe.
‘Today’s era is not of war’: PM Modi
On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit, PM Modi said, ‘Today’s era is not of war and I have talked to you about it on the call. Today we will get an opportunity to talk about which way we can move forward. Calmness.”
Meanwhile, Kirby blames President Putin for the Russia–Ukraine War. “The only person responsible for what is happening to the Ukrainian people is Vladimir Putin, and he can stop it now,” he said. “Instead, he is firing cruise missiles into energy and electricity infrastructure and trying to knock out the lights and turn off the heat so that the Ukrainian people suffer more than ever,” he said.
Kirby, however, said that there must be an end to hostilities, “taking into account the objectives and leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the determination of what is acceptable to the Ukrainian people. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”. “So that when President Zelensky sets the time to negotiate and he is the only person who can make that determination he can do it with the strongest hand,” he said.
Kirby also highlighted US President Joe Biden’s efforts to end the devastating war between Russia and Ukraine. “So President Biden has said these gosh dozens of times. We feel that this war can end today, must end today.
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Russia-Ukraine War
It is important to mention here that on February 24, Russian President Putin ordered a special military operation in the Donbass region of Ukraine which quickly spread across the country. The declaration of war between the two countries came after Russia recognized the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered its military to conduct a “peacekeeping operation” in the region.
According to reports, around 8 million Ukrainians were displaced within their country by the end of May, and more than 7.9 million fled the country by the first week of January 2023. Biggest refugee crisis since World War II.
(With inputs from ANI)