PM Narendra Modi ‘Great patriot’, Russian President Putin Lauds India’s Foreign Policy

GG News Bureau

London, 31st Oct. Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27, 2022, praised India’s foreign policy in the Ukraine crisis, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “great patriot.”

Putin stated that he is considering attending the G20 summit in Bali next month while speaking at the 19th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club on the theme of “A Post-Hegemonic World: Justice and Security for Everyone.”

“India has come a long way from a British colony to an independent country with which we have special ties. Prime Minister Modi is a great patriot who is able to pursue independent foreign policy,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the discussion forum, which was established in 2004 as a platform for dialogue on international issues.

Following a request from the Government of India, Putin informed that Russia had increased fertiliser supplies by 7.6 times to assist India in dealing with the commodities shock caused by the Ukrainian conflict.

Putin’s comments about Mr Modi come a day after the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will visit Moscow on November 8 for a day-long meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The meeting will be significant because it will take place immediately before the G20 summit in Bali on November 15-16.

There has been speculation about President Putin’s participation in the Bali summit, which is expected to be dominated by the Ukraine issue. The military conflict sparked heated debate at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Bali on July 8, implying that Western powers were planning to corner Russia over Moscow’s military campaign against Ukraine. The presence of President Putin in Bali is thus critical, as the summit will bring together US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and others, and could provide a first hint of a larger diplomatic effort to reduce tensions over Ukraine.

President Putin hinted at this willingness during his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club, where he differentiated between the “aggressive west” and the “traditional west,” stated that Russia was not looking for a conflict with the West, and ruled out the nuclear option for Ukraine. “The traditional West has a rich culture,” he says, “but the aggressive West is colonial.”

“This will be the most important decade since World War II. The rest of the world no longer wants to follow the West,” said President Putin.

India and Russia have maintained high-level contact since the conflict began on February 24, and President Putin has spoken with Prime Minister Modi several times during this time, often to ensure the safety and security of Indian citizens trapped in Ukraine. India issued additional advisories earlier this month, urging remaining nationals to leave Ukraine immediately in light of the escalation of conflict and destruction of electricity infrastructure, which has made life in Ukraine difficult, particularly as a harsh winter appears to be on the way.

Last December, President Putin paid a brief visit here for the annual India-Russia summit. There has been no announcement for the summit this time, despite officials’ measured response.