Washington/New Delhi: US President Joe Biden spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the latter’s recent trip to Poland and Ukraine, as well as the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September, and commended PM Modi for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine.
A White House readout of Monday night’s phone conversation between the two leaders said:
“The President commended the Prime Minister for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in decades, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, including its energy sector.
“The Leaders affirmed their continued support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with international law, on the basis of the UN Charter.
“The Leaders also emphasized their continued commitment to work together, including through regional groups like the Quad, to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”
Significantly, the readout does not mention the two leaders discussing Bangladesh or that they “emphasised restoration of law and order and ensuring safety and security of the minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh”, which the Indian statement said, and so did PM Modi mention in his X post.
PM Modi in his X post on Monday night said:
“Spoke to @POTUS @JoeBiden on phone today. We had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine. I reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability.
“We also discussed the situation in Bangladesh and stressed on the need for early restoration of normalcy, and ensuring the safety and security of minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.”
The Indian statement said: “The two leaders had a detailed exchange of views on a number of regional and global issues.
“While discussing the situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister briefed President Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine. He reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy and expressed full support for early return of peace and stability.
“The two leaders expressed their shared concern over the situation in Bangladesh. They emphasised restoration of law and order and ensuring safety and security of the minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh.
“The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the cooperation in multilateral fora, including the Quad.
“They agreed to remain in touch,” the statement added.
