Modi engages Austrian leader on Ukraine conflict, offers support for peace

Ukraine conflict:- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday in Vienna that India supports efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.

He held talks with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, in what he described as the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Austria in 41 years.

Modi’s trip to Austria followed a visit by the Indian leader to Russia, which was criticized by Kyiv.

Nehammer said it was important for Austria to understand India’s stance on Ukraine and that it was an "important and significant signal" that India took part in a recent peace summit in Switzerland. Nehammer said Austria would be able to play a role as a mediator in advancing peace initiatives for Ukraine.

Modi told reporters in Vienna: "This is not an age of war. Problems cannot be solved on the battlefield."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized a photo of Modi hugging Putin earlier in the week, describing it as "a devastating blow to peace."

Modi’s trip to Moscow, where India has longstanding ties, marked his first visit there since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While in Moscow, Modi reaffirmed India’s neutrality regarding the invasion. He referred to the Monday attack in which Russian missiles hit multiple locations in Ukraine, including the largest children’s hospital in Kyiv, and which resulted in the deaths of at least 42 people, including children, across the country.

"Be it war, a struggle or a terrorist attack, every person who believes in humanity, when there is loss of life, he is pained," Modi said Tuesday. VOA/SP