Quad Summit: Amid Russia-Ukraine war, PM Modi stresses on need for dialogue & diplomacy

Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Quad leaders held a virtual summit on Thursday. In the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated along with US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The leaders discussed the developments in Ukraine as the Russian offensive continued on Day 8 with Kherson captured and attacks continuing in Kharkiv, Mariupol, Chernihiv, as well as Kyiv-where Zelenskyy stands determined.

'The leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy", a release on the Quad meet stated. The leaders also discussed other topical issues, including  the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands. Prime Minister reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Quad initiatives reviewed in the meeting

The meeting reviewed the progress on Quad initiatives since the September 2021 Quad Summit, and the leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year.

As per the release on the Summit, PM Modi underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The Indian Prime Minister also called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building.  

'The leaders agreed to stay in touch and to work towards an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming Leaders’ Summit,' the release further read.