'PM Modi is patriot of his nation': Putin lauds leader's foreign policy, 'Make in India'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's independent foreign policy as well as 'Make in India' initiative and called him a 'true patriot'. While addressing the annual address to the Valdai Discussion Club, he stated that a lot has been done in India under PM Modi's leadership economically and ethically, reported ANI. He also hailed India's progress in development from being a British colony to a modern state.

Putin lauds PM Modi's independent foreign policy

"A lot has been done under PM Modi's leadership. He is a patriot of his country. His 'Make in India' idea matters both economic wise and in ethics. The future belongs to India, it can be proud of the fact that it's the largest democracy in the world," said Putin.

He further said, "India has made tremendous progress in its development from being a British colony to a modern state. Almost 1.5 billion people & tangible development results give reasons for everyone's respect & admiration for India," he added.

Calling India and Russia's relationship special, he further emphasised the ties between both nations. "It has been underpinned by a close ally relationship of many decades. We've never had any difficult issues and supported each other and that's happening right now. I'm sure it'll happen in future".

Putin Accuses West of Fuelling War In Ukraine

Meanwhile, Putin accused the Western nations of escalating the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and accused them of eroding the principles of collective security, with the substitution of international law for the so-called rules-based order. Speaking at the 19th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in a forum themed 'The World After Hegemony: Justice and Security for All', Putin launched a scathing attack on the “so-called West” for attempting to instate one "hegemonic" rule. 

"They’re fuelling the war in Ukraine," said the head of the Russian Federation, adding that they have been fuelling tensions around Taiwan, destabilising the world food markets and roiling the energy markets. "As far as the last one is concerned, it is not deliberate, [I] don’t doubt that," Putin said at the meeting. Russia's leader noted that energy and food security was impacted globally due to a number of systematic errors committed by the Western authorities, referring to crippling sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation in response to its invasion. 

Putin accused the West of playing a “dangerous” game as he asserted that the dominion of the world "is precisely what the West has decided to stake in this game. But this game is a dangerous, dirty, and bloody one." He further iterated that such acts contest the "sovereignty of peoples and nations, their identity and uniqueness and have no regard whatsoever for the interests of other countries." He furthermore stated that humanity, which stands at a crossroads, has two options – "either continue to 'accumulate all of the problems that are certain to crush all of us' or nations can work together 'to find solutions.'"