New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and the US are natural partners as they are two of the biggest democracies.
In a virtual interaction with US President Joe Biden, PM Modi lauded the President for giving a very important slogan at the very beginning of his tenure-‘Democracies can Deliver’.
Mr Modi said the success of the India-US partnership is the best way to make this slogan meaningful.
He also agreed with the US President that the India-US partnership could contribute to the solution of many global problems.
The Prime Minister said the talks are being held at a time when the situation in Ukraine remains worrisome.
He said that till a few weeks ago, more than 20,000 Indians were stranded in Ukraine, and most of them were young students.
The Prime Minister also said India placed importance on the safety of the civilian population in Ukraine and the uninterrupted supply of humanitarian aid, including medicines and relief materials.
He said on the demand of Ukraine, India is sending another consignment of medicines very soon.
Mr Modi stated that the recent killings of innocent civilians in Bucha city of Ukraine were very disturbing.
He hoped that the ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine would pave the way for peace.
PM Modi said he spoke on the phone several times with the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia and appealed for peace.
The Prime Minister also said that he suggested President Vladimir Putin have direct talks with the President of Ukraine.
“The situation in Ukraine is worrisome. We have succeeded in evacuating more than 20,000 Indian citizens. I have spoken with the Presidents of both Ukraine and Russia over telephone several times. I not only appealed to them for peace but also suggested President Putin to hold direct talks with the Ukrainian President,” he added.
He further stated that the subject of Ukraine has also been discussed in great detail in the Indian Parliament.
The Prime Minister said India is celebrating 75 years of independence, and in the next 25 years, Indo-US relations will play an important role.
In his opening remarks, US President Joe Biden said India and the US are two vibrant democracies with a strong and growing major defence partnership.
