The battle for Mariupol intensified Tuesday as thousands of people remained trapped and low on heat, food, and water as Russian forces continued their near-constant bombardment of the coastal city.
The discussion came a day after delegation-level talks between foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Victoria Nuland, who is on a three-nation tour of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
While the Japanese prime minister was vocal about Russia, the Indian side kept its neutral stance in public, omitting any direct reference to Ukraine when referring to the unacceptable use of force to reach a solution.
Calling Sri Lanka “a close and friendly neighbour”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the visiting Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa that India would always stand with Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan FM is on a two-day visit to India amid the country’s worst economic crisis. The key focus of the meet is to get a $1 billion line of credit from New Delhi.
A statement by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Delhi said, “Finance Minister Rajapaksa thanked Prime Minister Modi for all the assistance that India has provided to Sri Lanka at this critical time.”