PM Modi can bring Ukraine, Russia to the table for talks: French journalist

© Provided by India Today PM Modi can bring Ukraine, Russia to the table for talks: French journalist

As the Russia-Ukraine war is about to complete a year in February, a veteran French journalist on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can play a crucial role in facilitating talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The veteran French journalist said that PM Modi can bring Ukraine and Russia to the table for talks.

"There is a need for someone who can bring Ukraine and Russia to the table for talks and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can play a key role in facilitating the negotiations between the two warring neighbours," PTI reported the veteran French journalist as saying.

The journalist, identified as Laura Haim, is currently working with the LCI news channel.

She said that the step looks "extremely difficult" because Ukraine does not want to hold discussions and wants the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to judge Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Haim, who was the spokesperson for international affairs for French President Emmanuel Macron's election campaign, said India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi have some role to play in the peace process, according to PTI.

"We need someone who is going to be able to bring Ukraine and Russia to the table (for negotiations)," she said.

At this moment, it's extremely difficult because the two sides are refusing to speak to each other and blaming each other for the killings, she said.

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"The Ukrainians are saying they do not want to negotiate with Putin and they also want Crimea back. The Russians are bombing them all the time. We saw it again in the past month... Turkey has a very important place."

The journalist said that she was surprised to see people in the United States not talking about the Russia-Ukraine war.

In an interview with PTI, the French journalist said, "The war in Ukraine is going to be extremely long. Coming from Europe, I am speechless to see what's happening in America. People are talking about the president, the document and Donald Trump. And when you are in Europe, we are just talking about the war and what is going on."

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The journalist also praised Ukraine for its courage and said that, "Russia is probably going to try to do a new mobilisation, maybe to strike more... Kyiv, maybe to launch multiple offensives. The Ukrainians are extremely courageous. They are asking the West to help them."

She added that Americans are going to give Ukraine some more "help with no boots on the ground."

The United States on Thursday announced another military assistance package of USD 2.5 billion for Ukraine to fight against Russian aggression, taking the total US military assistance to USD 27.5 billion.

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This assistance package will provide Ukraine with hundreds of additional armoured vehicles, including Stryker armoured personnel carriers, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled vehicles, according to an official statement.

The package also includes critical additional air defence support for Ukraine, including more Avenger air defence systems, and surface-to-air missiles, as well as additional munitions for NASAMS that the US has previously provided.

(With inputs from PTI)