Highlights
- French President Emmanuel Macron defended PM Modi's stance on Russia Ukraine war.
- Macron referred to PM Modi's statement where he said the time is not for war.
- Macron made the remark during the ongoing 77th United Nations General Assembly.
UNGA session: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday defended Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the ongoing Russia Ukraine war, and said: "he was right!". Macron referred to PM Modi's statement where he said the time is not for war. "Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India was right when he said the time is not for war. It is not for revenge against the West, or for opposing the West against the east. It is the time for a collective time for our sovereign equal states. To cope together with challenges we face," he said.
Macron made the remark during the ongoing 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York City. PM Modi and Russia's President Vladimir Putin recently held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand.
During the talks, PM Modi had said, "Today's era is not of war and I have spoken to you about it on the call. Today we will get the opportunity to talk about how we can progress on the path of peace. India and Russia have stayed together with each other for several decades."
"We spoke several times on the phone about India-Russia bilateral relations and various issues. We should find ways to address the problems of food, fuel security and fertilizers. I want to thank Russia and Ukraine for helping us to evacuate our students from Ukraine," PM Modi added.
Responding to PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he knows about India's position on the Ukraine conflict and "we want all of this to end as soon as possible". Putin said that relations between Russia and India are in the nature of a privileged strategic partnership and continue to develop very rapidly.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan also supported PM Modi's stance and said the United States welcomes it. He said PM Modi made a statement of principle on behalf of what he believes is right.
Responding to a question over PM Modi's statement on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, Sullivan said, "I think what Prime Minister Modi said -- a statement of principle on behalf of what he believes is right and just -- was very much welcomed by the United States and for the Indian leadership, which has longstanding relationships in Moscow, from the very top all the way through the Russian government, to continue to reinforce that message that now is the time for the war to end," as quoted by the statement released by White House.
(With ANI Inputs)
