Ukraine President Zelenskyy's big request for PM Modi amid Russia-Ukraine war: 'You can force Putin to...'

Amid the worsening Russia-Ukraine war situation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a big request for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a recent interview, Zelenskyy sought PM Modi's help to bring back Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia. 

Since the start of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has abducted around 20,000 Ukrainian children. Of these children, less than 400 have returned home, as per the Children of War database. 

"You can force Putin to bring back Ukrainian children... PM Modi can use his influence and tell Putin just give me 1,000 Ukrainian children who will be brought back to Ukraine. Let PM Modi bring back at least 1,000 Ukrainian children," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interaction with The Times of India. 

Furthermore, he requested Modi to use his influence to put an end the ongoing war. "Modi is PM of a really huge country, from perspective of population, economy, influence and impact. Such a country cannot just say we're interested in end of war."

In August this year, Modi visited Ukraine for the first time since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1992. Modi focused on the need for sincere and practical engagement between stakeholders to develop broadly acceptable solutions and contribute towards early restoration of peace. 

Modi also reiterated India's willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate early return of peace, as per the Ministry of External Affairs.

Prime Minister Modi and President Zelenskyy reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard.

Besides this, PM Modi has advocated for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict on various international forums, while focusing on dialogue and diplomacy as a means to arrive at a solution.

He also met Putin on events like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit to express India's support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a no-holds barred conflict ever since February 24, 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.