US welcomes India's role in bringing peace to Ukraine
The United States (US) will welcome the role that India or any other country could play in bringing "just and lasting" peace to Ukraine while recognizing its sovereignty and territorial integrity, US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday. Miller claimed that the war has been a strategic failure for Russia and it has affected its "standing in the world."
Why does this story matter?
The Russia-Ukraine crisis began in February 2022 over territorial disputes and to prevent Kyiv from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Ukraine and the West have been trying to attract India to their camp against Russia, India's longtime ally and its biggest supplier of defense hardware. India has remained mostly ambivalent following its non-alignment policy and called for diplomatic solutions to the war.
Russia's economy crippled by our sanctions: Miller
Miller's statement was in response to a question asking whether India or Prime Minister Narendra Modi could play a role in ending the war. He stated that the US has welcomed international support for Ukraine since the conflict started. He also claimed that Russia had suffered an enormous loss of military equipment and personnel, adding that US sanctions have crippled Russia's economy.
Zelenskyy sought India's support for proposed peace plan
In June, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden expressed concern over the tragic consequences of the war while calling for respect for international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met PM Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Japan in May and sought India's support for a proposed peace plan to end the war.
NATO summit to decide on Ukraine's future membership
Meanwhile, NATO leaders gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, for an important summit that could determine the shape of the Russia-Ukraine war as well as the Western alliance. Zelenskyy earlier said that the summit must confirm that Ukraine is a de-facto member of NATO. Separately, on Sunday, Ukrainian forces advanced in the southeast to recapture the area that the Russian mercenary Wagner Group seized in May.
