dpa
New Delhi
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on India to do more to end the war in his country beyond merely saying it is against war, in an interview with the Times of India published on Monday.
“Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi can influence the end of the Ukraine war. This is the huge value of him in any conflict. This is the huge value of India,” Zelensky said.
Asked about Modi’s offer to mediate, Zelensky said: “Undoubtedly it can be in India and Prime Minister Modi can really do that.” But this could only be according to Ukraine’s format, he said.
There could be no neutrality between the aggressor and the victim, he said. “You cannot be neutral because it would mean you are on the side of Russia,” he added. Modi is the leader of a really huge country, from the perspective of population, economic influence and impact, he said.
Blocking the Russian economy, blocking cheap energy resources and blocking Russia’s defence-industrial complex would decrease Moscow’s capacity to wage war, he said. India maintains close economic and military ties with Russia and has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
