Ex-Army Chief Naravane urges dialogue for Russia-Ukraine peace solution

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Former Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane on Sunday reiterated India's commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that "this is not an era of war" and war should be the last resort.

Speaking at the launch of his book, "The Cantonment Conspiracy," at RIIM Business School in Pune, Maharashtra, he said, " India has always been saying that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and discussion, not through force...This is the reason our PM has been saying, "This is not an era of war"....War should be the last resort..."

Naravane emphasised that India has always stood against changing borders through unilateral use of force, advocating instead for dialogue and discussion to resolve disputes.

"The only thing we have to keep in mind is whether we want to agree and allow that you can change the borders just because you are a powerful country, by unilateral use of force. India has always been against that," he said.

According to Naravane, the meeting between the two leaders - US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska had mixed outcomes, leaving European countries uncertain about potential agreements between the US and Russia.

European countries are concerned about potential backroom deals between the US and Russia that could compromise their interests, further exacerbating global uncertainty.

"The Trump-Putin meeting had mixed outcomes. The European countries are not very happy with what might have transpired behind closed doors. There is a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump (in the US), and a lot of European PMs have flown to the US. They are also worried that there should be no under-the-carpet deal between the US and Russia, which does not keep the interests of European nations in mind. This is a very big game being played out at a global scale, and we really cannot say what will transpire...," said Naravane.

Earlier on Friday, the United States and Russia concluded the much-anticipated Alaska Summit meeting aimed at bringing peace to the conflict in Ukraine.

In a post on Truth Social, the US President called it a "great and very successful day in Alaska" and highlighted that the best way to go forward would be through a "peace agreement".

Later, Trump described the meeting with Russian President Putin as "really well", and said he held a telephonic conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, several European leaders, and Nato Secretary General, during which it was agreed that a peace agreement is the best way to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late-night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of Nato. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," the US President had posted on Truth Social.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the White House on Monday to meet with US President Donald Trump.

Following the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He shared his insights about the recent meeting in Alaska with US President Donald Trump over the Ukraine conflict.

PM Modi said India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard.

He thanked the Russian President for the phone call and for sharing his perspective on the Alaska meeting.

"Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska. India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our continued exchanges in the days to come," PM Modi said in a post on X.