New Delhi

Acknowledging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's growing stature as a global leader, noted Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria has said that the Indian leader can play a constructive role in brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine. 

"The war in Ukraine is frozen. There are very few parties who have the credibility to talk to both sides. If Prime Minister Modi were to propose some kind of situation where he acts as an intermediary, I think he could play a very constructive role," Zakaria told India Today TV.

This is his (PM Modi's) great opportunity to be a global statesman, should he want it. I think he would have to get energetically involved and he would have to be willing to really be an honest broker... I think he has the platform, he has the potential and the diplomatic skills to do it," he added. 

This is not the first time that Zakaria, who was born in Mumbai, has hailed PM Modi's leadership.

Earlier this year, he mentioned that PM Modi could go down as the "most important Indian Prime Minister" since Jawaharlal Nehru and leave a "very powerful" legacy.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, India has maintained its consistent position that allows it to reach out to both sides to find a solution to the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue.

In July this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Prime Minister Modi for dedicating his "whole life" to strengthen India and also making sincere efforts to find a solution to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

A month later, when he travelled to Kyiv in August - marking the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country since the establishment of bilateral relations in 1992 - PM Modi kept his hand firmly on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's shoulder and underscored the importance of peace and non-violence as guiding principles in India's approach to global conflicts.

In September, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined several world leaders who believe that PM Modi and India can play a role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, while speaking exclusively with the IANS, John Bolton, the US National Security Adviser (NSA) to former President Donald Trump from 2018-2019 and a former US Ambassador to the United Nations, called PM Modi a "strong leader" as India continues its rise as a major global power.