NEW DELHI: When Russian President Vladimir Putin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the SCO Summit in Samarkand on Friday last, he said he would end the war in Ukraine soon.
In less than a week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reaffirmed that Russia is considering ending the conflict. Erdogan, who was present at the SCO Summit and had a bilateral with Modi, said on Tuesday his impressions after talks with Putin suggest there could be an end to the war, beginning with the ceasefire.
In a related development, separatist leaders of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia announced dates for a referendum to formally join the Russian Federation. Reports also suggest that Russia is mulling and swapping 200 prisoners with Ukraine. Turkey has been actively trying to find some middle ground.
"Together, we need to find a reasonably practical diplomatic solution that will give both sides a dignified way out of the crisis," Erdogan told the opening session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. During the SCO Summit, Modi had told Putin that “this was no era for war”.
“We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible,’’ Putin said in response. “The war will end when both sides feel that it is best that they can get out of it. A similar situation occurred in March when the two sides conditionally reached an agreement, but it didn’t go through because one side decided it could get a better deal,” said P S Raghavan, former Ambassador to Russia.
Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to dominate the proceedings in the UNGA in New York this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the UNGA on Wednesday to accelerate weapons and aid deliveries.