Ukraine and China were among the issues that dominated the agenda for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, even as the two countries announced investments worth close to $42 billion by Japan in India over a period of five years, surpassing the $33 billion announced by Tokyo in 2014.
While Modi didn’t mention Ukraine in his press statement, Kishida said he had told his Indian counterpart any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo anywhere should never be tolerated. An India-Japan joint statement issued later also underlined the significance of international law and the need to resolve disputes without any use of force or any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo, even though it didn’t directly name Russia.
As expected, Kishida brought up Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his meeting with Modi and sought a common stand on the issue.
In a press statement, he said Russia’s invasion is a serious issue that has shaken the international order and that there is a need for a peaceful situation on the basis of international law. “Japan, a long with India, will keep trying to end the war and keep providing support to Ukraine and its neighbouring countries,” said Kishida.
Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said later that the “important” issue figured in the meeting and that Modi and Kishida sought immediate cessation of violence along with dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
The joint statement said Modi and Kishida expressed their serious concern about the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications, particularly for the Indo-Pacific region.
