Ajit Doval to Attend BRICS Meeting in Russia
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Russia next week to attend the BRICS NSA meeting in Moscow. The meeting of BRICS and BRICS Plus High-Level Security Officials is scheduled to be held in St Petersburg from September 10-12. Russia is holding the BRICS chairmanship for the year 2024.
BRICS Group
BRICS is an informal group of states comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with new members Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joining in 2023. Ajit Doval had participated in the 13th BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg in July 2023.
PM Modi’s Recent Visits
Doval’s visit to Moscow comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to both Russia and Ukraine in the past two months. During his visit, PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia and Ukraine since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022.
India has always advocated ‘peace and diplomacy’ for resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. During his visit to Russia in July, PM Modi held a meeting with President Putin at the Kremlin and discussed ways to diversify cooperation between the two nations in various sectors like trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology, and innovation.
PM Modi’s Statements
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, ‘Held productive discussions with President Putin at the Kremlin today. Our talks covered ways to diversify India-Russia cooperation in sectors such as trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology, and innovation. We attach great importance to boosting connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.’
PM Modi emphasized that there is no solution on the battlefield and added that peace talks do not succeed amid bombs, guns, and bullets. He said, ‘As a friend, I have always said that for the bright future of our coming generations, peace is of utmost importance. But I also know that solutions are not possible on battlegrounds. Amid bombs, guns, and bullets, solutions and peace talks do not succeed. We will have to follow the path to peace only through talks.’
PM Modi further stated that everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is a loss of lives, especially when innocent children are dying. He said, ‘Be it war, conflicts, terror attacks – everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is a loss of lives. But when innocent children are murdered, when we see innocent children dying, it is heart-wrenching. That pain is immense. I also held a detailed discussion with you over this.’
Visit to Ukraine
In August, PM Modi travelled to Ukraine after concluding his visit to Poland. During his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, PM Modi called dialogue the only solution to the conflict in Ukraine. ‘India was never neutral, we have always been on the side of peace,’ PM Modi told Zelenskyy in their bilateral meeting. PM Modi further said that India was ready to play an active role in the path to peace and progress.
Speaking in Kyiv, the Ukrainian President said, ‘India will play its role. I think that India began to recognize that this is not just conflict, this is real war of one man and his name is Putin against whole country whose name is Ukraine. You are a big country. You have a big influence and you can stop Putin and halt his economy, and put him really in his place.’
Doubts Revealed
Ajit Doval -: Ajit Doval is India’s National Security Advisor. He helps the government with important decisions about the country’s safety and security.
BRICS -: BRICS is a group of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. They work together on economic and political issues.
NSA meeting -: NSA stands for National Security Advisor. The NSA meeting is where top security advisors from BRICS countries discuss important security matters.
Moscow -: Moscow is the capital city of Russia. It is a very important city where many big decisions are made.
St Petersburg -: St Petersburg is a large city in Russia. It is known for its beautiful buildings and rich history.
Vladimir Putin -: Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia. He is the leader of the country and makes important decisions.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy -: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the President of Ukraine. He is the leader of Ukraine and works to make his country better.
Diplomacy -: Diplomacy is when countries talk and work together to solve problems peacefully instead of fighting.