PM Modi has influential voice on world stage, welcome his intervention: U.K.
The Hindu
Referring to PM Modi’s “today’s era is not of war” remark, U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hoped that Mr. Putin listens to those voices who are calling for peace.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a powerful, influential voice on the world stage and the Russian leadership respects India's position on the global arena, U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said, emphasising that London hopes President Vladimir Putin listens to those voices who are calling for peace amid the Ukraine conflict.
Cleverly was responding to a question on the Russian-Ukraine conflict and Modi telling Putin last week on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Uzbekistan's Samarkand that "today's era is not of war".
"Prime Minister Modi has a powerful, influential voice on the world stage. We know the Russian leadership respects India's voice and position on the world stage. I think Prime Minister Modi's intervention is very, very welcome. And we really hope that Vladimir Putin listens to those voices who are calling for peace and for de-escalation. So we very much welcome Prime Minister Modi's intervention," Mr. Cleverly told PTI in an interview.
He also said that there has been a terrible loss of life in the Ukrainian conflict.
"Obviously, we have seen the terrible loss of life in the Ukrainian conflict, both loss of life of Ukrainians but also of young Russian men and women, which is terrible," Mr. Cleverly, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, said here on Wednesday on the margins of the high-level UN General Assembly session.
He underlined that the challenges that pre-existed with regard to food security and people at risk of food insecurity and famine have been amplified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We've always been very, very clear that our sanctions do not target food exports, they do not target fertilizer exports, they do not target ammonia exports. But nevertheless, people in the world who are already hungry, their situation has been made worse by Putin's invasion of Ukraine. And that's why Prime Minister Modi's intervention is important and very welcome," he said.