European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Monday cautioned that the Ukraine conflict will impact the Indo-Pacific region, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that dialogue and diplomacy were the only way to achieve peace in Europe.
Von der Leyen further indicated that a “seemingly unrestrained pact” between Russia and China will have ramifications for both Europe and Asia. She noted this friendship of “no limits” and with “no forbidden areas of cooperation” was finalised in February, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Addressing the Raisina Dialogue, the external affairs ministry’s flagship conference on geopolitics, Von der Leyen said the fallout of the Ukraine crisis was already being felt in the Indo-Pacific.
“What happens in Ukraine will have an impact on the Indo-Pacific region. It already has. Countries battered by two years of covid-19 pandemic must deal now with rising prices for grain, energy and fertilisers as a direct result of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of choice.”
“Thus, the outcome of the war will not only determine the future of Europe but also deeply affect the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world,” she said, adding it was equally important for the Indo-Pacific and Europe that “borders are respected and that spheres of influence are rejected”.
At a meeting held earlier in the day, Modi and Von der Leyen expressed concern at the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and called for an immediate end to violence. Modi “stressed the importance of giving peace a chance and the need to return to dialogue and diplomacy as the only way to achieve peace”, according to a statement from the external affairs ministry.
The two leaders noted increasing policy convergence on the Indo-Pacific and exchanged views on regional and global issues such as the situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar and cooperation at the WTO and G20.
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