New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Germany on May 1-2 and hold bilateral talks. He will also visit Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. From there, the prime minister can also travel to France, which will elect its president on 24 April. PM Modi’s visit to three European countries comes at a time when India is under pressure to downgrade its ties with Russia after a military attack on Ukraine.
Germany and France took a tough stand on Russia and imposed sanctions, while India has so far taken a neutral stance, demanding an immediate end to the violence and respect for the sovereignty of the nation. New Delhi has also condemned the civilian killings in Buka and supported an independent investigation. Russia was expelled from the United Nations Human Rights Council after Ukraine discovered mass graves in areas that had been vacated by Russian troops after more than a month.
Germany has announced several economic and military packages for Ukraine. India has also sent humanitarian aid to Kyiv.
Over the past few weeks, leaders of several countries have visited India to explain the sanctions on Russia. Last week, PM Modi held a virtual summit with US President Biden to discuss defense and security issues. UK PM Boris Johnson is currently in India on a two-day visit. He will meet PM Modi in Delhi today.
first published:April 22, 2022, 8 am
