Heart-Wrenching If Children Die’: PM Modi To Putin On Ukraine War

A day after a children’s hospital in Kyiv was destroyed amid a wave of strikes by Russia, PM Narendra Modi has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that people’s “hearts simply explode” when innocent children are killed.

On Tuesday, the second and final day of his Russia visit, the Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting with Mr Putin, their first in two years. This is also the first such meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Addressing the invasion head-on after recognising the close ties between the two countries, PM Modi told the Russian president: “Your Excellency, let’s take war, any conflict or terrorist acts: any person who believes in humanity feels pain when people die, and especially when innocent children die. When we feel such pain, the heart simply explodes.”

Stating that the two leaders had listened to each other’s views on Ukraine on Monday, the Prime Minister said he had placed the Global South’s expectations on peace and stability before Mr Putin and reiterated that “no solution is possible on the battlefield”. This is the same message that the PM was reported to have given the Russian President during their private dinner the previous evening.

Emphasising that India was ready to cooperate in all possible ways for the restoration of peace, the PM said in Hindi, “I assure you and the world community that India is on the side of peace. Listening to you yesterday has given me hope. For new generations to have a bright future, peace is essential. Peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs, guns and bullets.”