Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on phone on Tuesday and raised concerns over the safety of nuclear installations in the east European nation that is battling Russian forces.
The two leaders spoke nearly two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilisation, calling up some three lakh reservists in a major escalation of his tapering invasion of Ukraine, which he portrayed as a fight to the death with the US and its allies, especially members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his call for early cessation of hostilities and the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy. He expressed his firm conviction that there can be no military solution to the conflict and conveyed India's readiness to contribute to any peace efforts," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, reports NDTV.
Modi said endangerment of nuclear facilities in Ukraine "could have far-reaching and catastrophic consequences for public health and the environment."
India has been calling for an end to the war that Ukraine has been fighting for seven months, initially against incoming Russian forces, and now on the offensive after retaking key cities from Russian control.
Zelensky on Saturday pledged to retake more areas in the country's eastern Donbas region from Russian forces.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
