India can play role in resolving Ukraine conflict: Italian PM Meloni

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that India can play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

She made these statements after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“China and India have a role to play in resolving this conflict. The only thing that cannot happen is to believe that the conflict can be resolved by abandoning Ukraine,” Meloni said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, Italian state television was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Meloni held a bilateral meeting with Zelensky today on the sidelines of the annual conference of The European House – Ambrosetti (TEHA) Forum in Cernobbio on Lake Como. She reiterated Italy’s support for Kiev in the fight against the Russian invasion forces, ANSA reported.

The Italian news agency quoted Meloni as later telling reporters that the 40-minute meeting had gone well.

“If the rules of international law are ignored, crises and chaos will multiply,” Meloni told the forum, according to the ANSA report. “I have also said this to my Chinese colleagues,” the Italian prime minister said, according to the report.

“The only thing we cannot do is abandon Ukraine to its fate,” Meloni said. “That is the choice that Italy has made and that will not change.”

Meloni’s office also reiterated in a statement “that support for Ukraine is a top priority on the agenda of the Italian G7 presidency and reaffirmed the continued commitment to the legitimate defense of Ukraine and to a just and lasting peace.” The statement published by the Italian news outlet said they had also discussed the issue of reconstruction ahead of the next Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Italy in 2025.

The news outlet quoted a statement from Meloni’s office, which said the two leaders discussed the latest developments on the ground and Ukraine’s most urgent needs ahead of winter and “in light of ongoing Russian attacks on civilian populations and critical infrastructure.”

Meloni’s comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on Thursday that India, China and Brazil could mediate possible peace talks over Ukraine.

Speaking at the plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), the Russian leader said that the leaders of India, Brazil and China are making sincere efforts to contribute to resolving the situation in Ukraine.

According to Russian state media TASS, Putin said that he is in constant contact with India, China and Brazil over the conflict in Ukraine. These countries are sincerely trying to solve all the problems surrounding the conflict.

Putin’s statement comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow and recent visit to Ukraine, where he reiterated India’s stand on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, saying that India has always been on the side of peace.