Finance
In their second call in roughly a fortnight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron addressed efforts to bring the Ukrainian crisis to a stop as soon as possible.
PM Modi also congratulated President Macron for accepting India’s invitation to the ‘AI Impact Summit’ in February 2026, stating that he looks forward to his visit.
The two leaders last spoke on August 21, when Macron met with US President Donald Trump and discussed the meeting between the president and European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This meeting followed President Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
The request came on Saturday after Macron attended a summit of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ leaders in Paris, which included Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan, among others, to explore support for Ukraine. This meeting was also attended by the Ukrainian President.
After the call, PM Modi posted on X, “Had a very good conversation with President Macron. We reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas. Exchanged views on international and regional issues, including efforts for bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. The India-France Strategic Partnership will continue to play a key role in fostering global peace and stability.”
Macron posted on X, “I just spoke with Prime Minister @NarendraModi. I presented him the outcome of the work we carried out with President Zelensky and our partners of the Coalition of the Willing last Thursday in Paris.”
“India and France share the same determination to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Building on our friendship and our strategic partnership, we will continue moving forward together to trace this path toward peace.”
According to a PMO statement, the two leaders “positively assessed the developments in bilateral cooperation across different sectors including economic, defence, science, technology and space”.
“The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening of the India-France Strategic Partnership, in line with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, the Indo-Pacific Roadmap and the Defence Industrial Roadmap,” the PMO said.
“They exchanged views on recent efforts towards bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine. PM Modi reiterated India’s consistent support for peaceful resolution of the conflict and early restoration of peace and stability,” the statement said.
According to the PMO, both leaders committed to remain in touch and collaborate closely to promote world peace and stability.
On August 21, Modi and Macron discussed the ongoing efforts to peacefully resolve tensions in Ukraine and the West Asia region.
France has been one of India’s most important strategic partners. The partnership covers defense, strategy, security, nuclear, space, climate change, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
Macron has visited India multiple times, including in January 2024 for the Republic Day celebrations, and he is comfortable with the Indian government.
Source: IE
