Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian Minister calls on India to 'tell Putin to stop war'

Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Sunday urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "reach out" to Russian President Vladimir Putin and "explain to him that this war is against the interests of all." The Ukrainian minister also appealed to "ordinary citizens" in a televised address, seeking their support as Kiev continues to fight on the eleventh day after Russia launched a full-scale offensive last week. "Prime Minister Modi, we call on him to reach out to President Putin and explain to him that this war is against (the) interest of all. The only person on the entire planet - who is interested in this war - is President Putin himself. People of Russia are not interested in this war," said Kuleba. Further explaining the impact of war on India, the Ukraine Minister said that India is "one of the largest consumers of Ukrainian agricultural products and if this war continues, it'll be difficult for us to seed new harvests." "So, even in terms of global and Indian food security, it's in the best interest to stop this war," he continued. Also Read | Russia-Ukraine war: Canada advises its citizens to leave Russia amid 'restrictions on financial transactions' Kuleba also demanded new sanctions against Russia and urged governments of several countries, including India, to appeal to Russia to end the war. He further accused Russia of breaking the ceasefire agreements during a televised address, urging it to halt shooting so that civilians, especially foreign students, could escape. "For 30 years, Ukraine was a welcoming home for thousands of students from Africa, Asia... to facilitate their (foreign students') movement, Ukraine arranged trains, set up hotlines, worked with embassies... The Ukrainian government is doing its best," Kuleba said. He further asserted that Russia is trying to "win the sympathy" of countries with their nationals in Ukraine. He stated that if Russia stops "manipulating" the issue of foreign students, all of them will be safely evacuated. "I call on the governments of India, China, and Nigeria, to appeal to Russia to stop the fire and allow civilians to leave," he added. Also Read | Israeli PM Naftali Bennett offers to mediate between Russia, Ukraine; speaks with Putin, Zelenskiy -PTC News