Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk during a meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo country house near Moscow, Russia on July 8, 2024 | Photo credit: via Reuters
In what will be a relief for the families of people recruited into the Russian military to serve in the war with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made at a private dinner on Friday, to release those who want to return to it. India. According to a privy decision source, Mr. Putin has given instructions to this effect to Mr. Modi’s “direct intervention”.
“We expect the release to take place within a few weeks from the various places we serve or distribute,” sources said the Hindus under anonymous conditions.
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It is unclear whether there will be a public announcement of the order and whether it will be found in the joint statement, which comes after weeks of diplomatic discussions, and issues raised by the Indian Embassy in Moscow as well as the Foreign Ministry. S. Jaishankar to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana last week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold official talks with President Putin and visit the nuclear cooperation exhibition on Tuesday.
Increase the pressure
Demands for the release of dozens of soldiers who claim to have been recruited by the Russian military after being duped by agents with false promises have increased pressure on the government for months. Next The Hindu was first informed about the demand raised by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as some people from his constituency had reached out, the Ministry of External Affairs accepted that there was a problem among “some” of the cases.
However, it later emerged that at least 50 Indians had served in the war, four of whom had been killed.
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In parliament last week, Mr Owaisi referred to Indians who were not prevented by the government from traveling to conflict zones in Russia and Israel as “cannon fodder”. The MEA said around 9-10 who went directly to the Embassy have returned to India, following the Embassy’s intervention with the Kremlin. The Hindu it has been learned that some others have received letters of release, but are awaiting official release from the war front by their commanders.
The Russian government has not commented on the issue so far, but an official source explained that the recruitment of foreign soldiers is allowed by law and is carried out after a “mental and physical” check. Recruits from Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and African countries are all believed to have been trained for several weeks and deployed in the same manner as Indian recruits. The Nepalese government also made a similar request to the Kremlin and resolved the issue in Kathmandu and Moscow.
A special gesture
The Russian President’s decision appears to be a special gesture made for India because of its traditional ties, as well as his personal relationship with PM Modi, which was on display at a private dinner thrown for Mr. Modi at his dacha on the outskirts of the city. Moscow on Monday. The two embraced when they met, and Mr. Putin congratulated PM Modi on his third term in office, then personally drove Mr. Modi around the estate in a golf cart, and took him on a tour.
India dismissed US concerns
The optics of the visit have raised eyebrows in Washington, where President Joseph Biden hosted NATO leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a special summit on Tuesday, and State Department spokesman Mathew Miller, when asked, said the US had raised “concerns ” ” on India’s relations with Russia.
When asked, government sources dismissed US concerns about the issue.
“India has always demanded respect for the UN charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty,” an official source said. As reported, PM Modi is expected to emphasize with President Putin that “there is no battlefield solution” to the conflict and that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the only way forward.
(With input from Vijaya Singh)
