At Quad Meet, PM Calls For "Return To Dialogue, Diplomacy" On Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi "emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy" for a way forward in the Ukraine crisis at a virtual meeting of the Quad leaders today, a statement from his office said. In his remarks, PM Modi also reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Ukraine was one of the key issues discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

A joint readout issued after the meeting said the Quad leaders, assessing the "broader implications" of the conflict, "agreed to stand up a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine".

On Day 8 of the invasion, Ukraine and Russia started their second round of talks and agreed on setting up evacuation corridors for civilians.  

Russia has scaled up its attack on Ukrainian cities, going for air strikes as its ground forces wait miles from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.  

Several other cities, including Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv, have also been bearing the brunt of the attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military advance was going as per plan.

At the Quad meeting today, PM Modi also underscored the need to stay focused on Quad's core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement from his office read.   

The meeting reviewed the progress on Quad initiatives since the September 2021 summit and the leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year.

PM Modi "called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building," read the statement from his office.  

The leaders also discussed other issues, including the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands, the PM's Office said.  

The Prime Minister, it added, reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.