Indian PM Modi’s visit to Europe, Ukraine on the agenda

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, arrived in Europe on Monday, with New Delhi’s failure to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine expected to be a major topic of discussion during talks with regional leaders.

India, which buys much of its military gear from Russia, has long walked a diplomatic tightrope between the West and Moscow, calling simply for an end to hostilities as soon as possible.

“My visit to Europe comes at a time when the region faces many challenges and choices,” Modi said in a statement before departing for Germany, Denmark, and France.

According to the statement, the prime minister wanted to “strengthen the spirit of cooperation” with European partners “who are important companions in India’s quest for peace and prosperity.”

Modi was scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday before going to Copenhagen on May 3 for a two-day India-Nordic Summit with the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

He will also make a quick detour to France to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron to“share assessments on various regional and global issues and will take stock of ongoing bilateral cooperation,” according to an Indian statement.

Scholz of Germany was reported by the Indian Express newspaper on Monday as stating that Russia’s “attack on Ukraine is at the top of the agenda” in his meetings with Modi.

“The brutality of the Russian attack is shocking and appalling. Those responsible must be held accountable. I am confident that there is broad agreement between our countries on this,” Scholz said in an interview, according to the newspaper.

According to Bloomberg News, Scholz aims to invite Modi as a special guest to a Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ conference next month as part of a bid to establish a larger coalition against Russia.

Scholz was unsure about the invitation until weeks ago, according to the story, because of Modi’s failure to criticise Russia and India’s rising fossil fuel imports from there, according to anonymous sources.

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