No winner in this war, serious impact on developing and poor countries: PM Modi

Underlining that Russia has violated fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter by attacking Ukraine and its civilian population, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed that “borders should not be changed through the use of violence” and “inviolability as well as the sovereignty of nations has to be universally accepted”.

Scholz said he has invited Modi to the G-7 meeting which will be held in Germany in the last week of June.

Prime Minister Modi, who did not name Russia in his statement, said “there will be no winning party in this war, everyone will suffer”.

This is a new formulation, going beyond what New Delhi has been saying so far — calling for cessation of hostilities and saying dialogue is the only way to resolve the conflict.

“Recent geopolitical events also showed how fragile world peace and stability is, and how interconnected all countries are. From the very beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, we called for an immediate ceasefire, insisting that dialogue is the only way to resolve the dispute. We believe that there will be no winning party in this war, everyone will suffer. That is why we are in favour of peace,” Modi said.

“Oil prices are skyrocketing due to the turmoil triggered by the Ukraine conflict; there is also shortage of food grains and fertilizers in the world. This has burdened every family in the world, but its impact on developing and poor countries will be even more serious. India is deeply concerned by the humanitarian impact of this conflict. We have sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine on our behalf. We are also trying to help other friendly countries through food exports, oil supplies and economic assistance,” he said.