New Delhi: At his first stop in Europe, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the global economic consequences of the Ukraine war, even as his host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, roundly condemned Russia and appealed for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Eurasian country.Modi arrived in Berlin on the first leg of his three-day, three-country tour of Europe, which is in the midst of geopolitical tensions over the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia since February.After their first face-to-face talks to co-chair inter-governmental consultations, Scholz and Modi signed an agreement on a green partnership and read out their respective press statements.For the German media, it was notable that no questions were taken when the two leaders came before journalists. A senior German editor tweeted that the lack of media queries was “at the insistence of the Indian side”.In nearly all democratic world capitals, it is usual practice to take a few questions after two world leaders hold discussions. This was followed by Indian leaders on their travels abroad and also during visits of foreign dignitaries to India. However, it has been dropped in the last seven years.The last time the Indian prime minister took questions at a joint media interaction on a foreign trip was in the United Kingdom in 2015.Scholz, who became chancellor in December 2021, said Ukraine would be discussed “in great detail” with his guest.“The war and the brutal attacks on the civilian population in Ukraine show how uninhibited Russia is violating the principles of the United Nations Charter,” he said.Standing alongside Modi, the German chancellor also renewed his appeal to the Russian president: “Stop this war. Stop the senseless killing, withdraw your troops from Ukraine.”He also stated that the Ukraine war had made it “all the more important to emphasise the importance of a rules-based order in the world, especially with regard to other regions of the world such as the Indo-Pacific region”.While Scholz did not publicly push India to condemn Russia explicitly, the German leader added, “Germany is as united with India here as it is in the global defence of the rule of law and democracy.” He also noted that Germany had invited India, along with Indonesia and African countries, to be partners at the upcoming G7 summit in July.While Scholz sought to emphasise the convergences, the Indian prime minister’s remarks on Ukraine inevitably highlighted the more ambiguous approach from New Delhi.Modi reminded that India had called for the cessation of violence from the start of the Ukraine crisis and resolution through dialogue. “We believe that there will be no winning party in this war, everyone will suffer. That is why we are in favour of peace.”He also framed the conflict in terms of its economic consequences spreading worldwide. “Oil prices are skyrocketing due to the turmoil triggered by the Ukraine conflict; there is also shortage of food grains and fertilisers in the world. This has burdened every family in the world, but its impact on developing and poor countries will be even more serious.”The gap between the two countries on Ukraine was even more starkly demonstrated in the joint statement.The bilateral document described Russia’s invasion as “unprovoked aggression”, but made it clear that this sentiment came only from the Germans.“Germany reiterated its strong condemnation of the unlawful and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine by Russian Forces,” said the joint statement.The following paragraph then delineated the common points.“Germany and India expressed their serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They unequivocally condemned civilian deaths in Ukraine. They reiterated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities. They emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states. They discussed the destabilising effect of the conflict in Ukraine and its broader regional and global implications. Both sides agreed to remain closely engaged on the issue,” said the document.These are positions that India has previously articulated at various platforms since the start of the Ukraine war, but as in the joint statement, without pointing any fingers at Moscow.Along with refraining from explicitly criticising Russia, India has abstained at all the successive resolutions at various bodies of the United Nations condemning Moscow. India has defended its rising purchase of Russian crude, pointing at Europe continuing to buy oil and gas from Russian sources.There is, however, a gathering movement in Europe to ban all imports of Russian oil. The new momentum to frame additional sanctions against Russia is due to Germany changing its previous stance and deciding to throw its weight behind the oil ban.At a media briefing, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said that if one looks at the ground situation, India’s imports of Russian oil are only a small fraction of what the rest of the world buys from Moscow. “Essentially, we look at it from the perspective of energy security, which not just India but the rest of the world is also pursuing,” he said in Berlin.While the German government did not publicly tell India to take a more critical stance, the business community had no such coyness.The German newspaper Die Zeit reported that the Federation of German Industries (BDI) has stated that India’s “neutral” position towards Russia “complicates economic and political cooperation”.A member of BDI’s executive board, Wolfgang Niedermark, stated that both Germany and Europe, as well as India, must diversify their international cooperation. “In the current situation, it is essential for both sides to reduce dependencies on Russia,” he said, adding that this applied both to European energy imports and Russian-Indian military cooperation.The Indian and German leaders also co-chaired a business roundtable attended by business leaders of both countries.Asserting that India was a significant country in terms of combatting climate change, Scholz observed that the current heatwave across the South Asian country was a manifestation of the urgent need for cooperation in this section.The two leaders also released a “Joint Declaration of Intent establishing the Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development”, which aims to intensify commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement and SDGs.Germany also announced that it plans to extend “financial and technical cooperation and other assistance to India” worth at least 10 billion euros (around Rs 80,500 crore) by 2030. One of the “deliverables” agreed under the green partnership was to draw up a “Green Hydrogen roadmap based on the inputs by the Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force supported by the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF)”.Among the nine agreements announced on Monday, the two countries highlighted the joint declaration on initialling the agreement on a Comprehensive Migration and Mobility partnership to facilitate the movement of professionals. “It is the first agreement of its kind for our country,” Scholz added.