On a crucial visit to Germany, PM Narendra Modi today strongly favoured peace over violence in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Prime Minister, emphasising on the economic losses due to the Ukraine-Russia war, said that "each family in the world" has been impacted due to the war. "We have urged for a ceasefire. No one will win this war. All will lose. That's why, we are in favour of peace," PM Narendra Modi said.
"Oil prices have increased due to the Ukraine crisis. This has impacted every family in the world. Each nation has been affected due to this. However, developing nations would be the most affected," PM Modi added further. "India is concerned over the humanitarian impact of the Ukraine-Russia War. We have sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine," PM Modi added.
Modi, who arrived here on Monday morning on the first leg of his three-nation Europe trip that will also take him to Denmark and France, held talks with the German Chancellor on key areas of bilateral cooperation under the overall strategic partnership as well as regional and global developments.
In their opening remarks at the IGC, both leaders highlighted key aspects of the bilateral relationship as well as shared perspectives on regional and global issues with Modi emphasising that the India-Germany partnership could serve as an example of success in a complex world.
He also invited German participation in India's Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.
The two leaders inked the Joint Declaration of Intent establishing the Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development under which Germany intends to strengthen its financial and technical cooperation and other assistance to India with a long-term goal of at least 10 billion Euros of new and additional commitments till 2030.
On the Ukraine crisis, Modi said from the start, India called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and stressed that talks are the only solution to resolve the dispute.
"We believe that there will be no victorious party in this war and all will suffer losses. Therefore, we are on the side of peace," the Prime Minister asserted.
"Due to the disturbance caused by the Ukraine crisis, oil prices are skyrocketing, and there is a shortage of food grains and fertilizers, as a result of which every family in the world has been burdened," he said.
Modi said that the effect of this conflict would be more serious on developing and poor countries and added that India is also concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict.
On his part, Scholz said that 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 Russia has been violating the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, the German Chancellor said.
A joint statement issued after the talks said "Germany reiterated its strong condemnation of the unlawful and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine by Russian Forces".
The statement further said Germany and India expressed their serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and "unequivocally condemned" civilian deaths in Ukraine.
They reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and 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, the joint statement said.
