New Delhi, Feb 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine conflict and appealed for immediate cessation of violence as well as concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations.
During their telephonic conversation, President Putin briefed Prime Minister Modi about the recent developments regarding Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The Prime minister reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue, the PMO said.
Prime Minister Modi appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue, it said.
Modi also sensitised the Russian President about India’s concerns regarding the safety of the Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students, and conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return.
The leaders agreed that their officials and diplomatic teams would continue to maintain regular contacts on issues of topical interest, the PMO said.
Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security today after Russia launched an attack on Ukraine.
Besides Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were seen in a video of the meeting shared by official sources.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Hardeep Singh Puri who are not part of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) were in the meeting.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, also attended the meeting.(PTI)
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