Russian President Putin and PM Modi agree to further boost bilateral strategic ties
discuss ukraine war over phone
Moscow/New Delhi, Jun 30: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a "meaningful" conversation over the phone, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership while exchanging views on the conflict in Ukraine.
The telephone conversation between the two leaders came days ahead of the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is being hosted by India on July 4. It also came a day after Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval discussed bilateral ties and the latest security developments in Russia.
Modi and Putin reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Both leaders agreed to remain in touch and continue to make efforts to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, it said.
"The conversation had a meaningful and constructive character. The leaders reiterated mutual commitment to strengthening the privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India and agreed to continue communication," the Kremlin press service said.
Russian President Putin informed Modi of Ukraine's categorical refusal to settle the conflict through diplomacy, it said about the raging war in Eastern Europe since February last year.
"The two leaders discussed the situation around Ukraine. The Russian president assessed the current situation in the special military operation zone, pointing to Kyiv's categorical refusal to take political and diplomatic steps to resolve the conflict," Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted the Kremlin statement as saying.
While discussing the situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.
India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
The two leaders also discussed their countries' cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the G20.
"Special attention was focused on cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the G20, where India holds the presidency, as well as within the BRICS format," the statement said.
The Kremlin statement also said Prime Minister Modi has expressed support for the actions taken by the Russian leadership in connection with the short-lived armed rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group last week.
"In connection with the June 24 developments, Narendra Modi expressed understanding and support for the resolute actions by the Russian authorities to defend law and order, and ensure stability in the country and security of its citizens," it said.
The rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner group on Saturday marked the most serious challenge to President Putin in more than two decades of his rule and triggered questions over his leadership.
The Wagner mercenary group had taken control of Rostov-on-Don town. The revolt ended when Prigozhin ordered his troops back.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chinese astronauts return to earth safely after six-month stint in space station
Beijing, Nov 4: Three Chinese astronauts who spent six months developing China’s low orbit space station returned to Earth safely early Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The capsule of the spaceship Shenzhou-18' carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:24 am (Beijing Time).
The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.
Ye, the Shenzhou-18 mission commander, has become the first Chinese astronaut with an accumulative spaceflight time of more than a year, setting a new record for the longest duration of stay in orbit by a Chinese astronaut.
He served as a crew member in the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022.
"Chinese astronauts have flown to space in successive missions. I believe that the record of the duration in orbit will be broken in the near future," Ye said.
Another astronaut Li Guangsu said that they grew two types of plants -- cherry tomatoes and lettuce -- and they had harvested some lettuce leaves for food.
"Being able to eat fresh vegetables in space is truly a blessing. These green plants have also brought a touch of green and good cheer to our busy work," Li was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency.
China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship in April this year.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew utilised the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out dozens of experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Xinhua report said.
The three were relieved by another set of three Chinese astronauts, including a woman who docked with the orbiting space station on October 30.
China changes crew for the station every six months.
China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army, (PLA).
The two robotic arms of the station, especially the long one which has the ability to grab objects including satellites from space, drew international concerns.
Early this month China announced its plans for the further development of space programmes which included launching a manned lunar mission, construction of a lunar space station, exploration of habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.
