MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can influence the end of the war in Ukraine and act as a mediator in peace talks with Russia in India, but in the format Ukraine insists on, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said.
"Modi is the PM of a really huge country. <…> Such a country cannot just say we are interested in the end of the war <…> PM Modi can influence the end of the Ukrainian," he said in an interview with the Times of India newspaper.
"Undoubtedly it [talks] can be in India and PM Modi can really do that. But I think we need to prepare ourselves and only according to our format because the war is in our land. We have the platform which is the peace summit," he stressed.
Since the beginning of Modi’s third office term, India has been maintaining contacts with both Russia and Ukraine on issues of the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Modi visited Moscow and Kiev and in late August spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone. Apart from that, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited St. Petersburg and was received by Putin.