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NEW DELHI: After co-chairing the India-EU summit PM Narendra Modi said India and the EU were natural partners in a changing world and remained committed to strengthening multilateralism. However, Russia’s Ukraine war remained a vexing issue as the EU said it was counting on Modi’s support to end the conflict.European Council President Antonio Costa said in his media statement that the summit reaffirmed their commitment to supporting efforts towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, one that fully respects Ukraine’s “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”.“This is a key moment. We are supporting all efforts to reach a just and sustainable peace. Ukraine has shown its readiness, including at the cost of difficult compromises. I know, dear Prime Minister, that we can count on you to help create the conditions for peace, through dialogue and diplomacy,” said Costa, addressing Modi at the joint media event.India’s ties with Russia have been a thorn in the side of the EU since the beginning of the conflict but Brussels didn’t allow it to stand in the way of the grounbreaking trade and defence pacts with India, recognising the need to work with New Delhi in a world marred by unpredictability and disruptions. The EU is also learnt to have urged India to provide more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.Modi said in his own statement that the global order is undergoing profound turbulence and in that context the partnership between India and the EU will strengthen stability within the international system. “Against this backdrop, we held detailed discussions today on several global issues, including Ukraine, West Asia, and the Indo-Pacific,” said the PM, adding that respect for multilateralism and international norms remained a shared priority.Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said EU leaders expressed their concerns about the conflict and the PM indicated to them he had been in close touch with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders. “We favor a negotiated solution between the parties most closely concerned with this conflict. The PM himself has advocated this to both leaders. He has publicly stated that India is ready to do whatever is needed to support the outcomes from such a negotiated solution. And that we are interested in seeing the earliest possible cessation of this conflict,” said Misri.The leaders also discussed the Gaza situation, calling for a just and lasting solution, based on the implementation of the two-State solution, through dialogue and diplomacy.According to the joint statement, they noted the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 of 17 November 2025 which welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace and authorizes an International Stabilisation Force, as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan, as a step forward to end the Gaza conflict. Both India and the EU have reservations about President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative which, unlike what is mandated by the resolution, will look to resolve conflicts all over the world and not just Gaza.In the statement, Modi and the EU leaders encouraged all parties to implement the resolution in its entirety, in line with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. “Both sides restated their readiness to support efforts towards just and durable peace and stressed the need for unhindered humanitarian access,” said the joint statement.
