No victors in Ukraine war

Berlin/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said there is no winning party in the Russia-Ukraine war as everyone will lose, adding that peace and talks between the countries are the only way to resolve the conflict.

The visiting-Prime Minister said this during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholzin Berlin in which the two leaders discussed key areas of bilateral cooperation under the overall strategic partnership, as well as regional and global developments.

Modi said India has provided humanitarian help to Ukraine and called for peaceful relations between the two countries. "Recent geopolitical incidents have shown that world peace and stability are in critical condition and revealed how all countries are interconnected. We had said that talks are the only way to solve the Ukraine crisis.

We believe that no one will be the victorious party in this war," the PM said. Modi also said due to the turmoil in the Ukraine war, commodity prices have increased. "This will impact developing countries and the war will have a global impact," he said. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Germany deplored Russian aggression against Ukraine and said, "through its attack on Ukraine, Russia has violated fundamental principles of international law. The war and the brutal attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine show how unrestrained Russia has been in violating the fundamental principles of the UN Charter." Scholz said. "I repeat my appeal to (Vladimir) Putin to end the war, to end this senseless killing,"

Both India and Germany "expressed their serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They unequivocally condemned civilian deaths in Ukraine," it said. "They emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states. They discussed the destabilizing effect of the conflict in Ukraine and its broader regional and global implications. Both sides agreed to remain closely engaged on the issue," it further said.

Modi arrived in Berlin on Monday morning on the first leg of his three-nation Europe trip that will also take him to Denmark and France. The Prime Minister was received by Chancellor Scholz in a ceremonial welcome at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin upon his arrival for talks. He was accorded the Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.

The two leaders thereafter met in a one-on-one format followed by delegation-level talks. The meeting was held before the sixth round of Biennial Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between India and Germany. Modi's visit comes amid the Ukraine crisis, which has united much of Europe against Russia.