Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping have offered to mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine, seeking to resolve the conflict between the countries that started in February 2022, said the Kremlin on Sunday. The offer by Modi and Xi was made during their bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Putin, who was on a three-day visit to India that began Friday, welcomed their readiness, and provided Modi and Xi a detailed information about the conflict with Ukraine. He added that the Russians have not ruled the possibility of returning to talks in the “foreseeable future”.
“During their bilateral meetings, Modi and Xi showed great interest in the settlement of the Ukraine issue, made active proposals for the use of good offices to help find a solution,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
Sputnik International“Yes, we do not exclude such a possibility, we are talking about the foreseeable future, presumably October. "October is not ruled out.
Why this matters?This is not the first time New Delhi and Beijing have offered to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv but the timing is significant as legislative elections are expected to be held in Russia soon. These will be the first legislative elections since the start of the Ukraine war.
US President Donald Trump had also held a summit with Putin in August last year. But talks have broken down after several rounds of talks. Amid this, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday he was ready to meet Putin but Peskov has ruled it out. Putin repeatedly turned down offers to meet with Zelenskyy in person.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have escalated long-range attacks against each other in recent months, resulting in the highest civilian death toll since the war’s first days. Earlier rounds of talks have collapsed, with Moscow so far unwilling to move from its maximalist conditions to end the fighting, including demanding Ukraine give up territory in the east that Russian troops have yet to seize.
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