PM Modi Was Right When He Said This Is Not Time For War: French President Macron Condemns Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine At UNGA

French President Emmanuel Macron told world leaders at the UN General Assembly session that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right when he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that this is not the time for war.

PM Modi, who met Putin last week on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan's Samarkand, had told the Russian leader that 'today's era is not of war'.

He had spoken to Putin several times over the phone regarding this issue and underlined the importance of democracy, diplomacy and dialogue.

'Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India was right when he said the time is not for war. It is not for revenge against the West or for opposing the West against the East. It is the collective time for our sovereign equal states to cope together with challenges we face,' Macron said during his address at the General Debate of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

'This is why there's an urgent need to develop a new contract between the north and the south – an effective contract which is respectful for food, for biodiversity, for education. It's no longer time for block thinking but to build a coalition of specific action to reconcile legitimate interests and common goods,' he said.

“The longer this war goes on, the more it threatens Europe and the world. It could lead to greater conflict where security and sovereignty no longer depend on the strength of alliances, but on the strength of armed groups... and subjugation of others,” Macron said.

“What we have seen is a return to the age of imperialism. France rejects this and will steadfastly search for peace," he added.

He called on the members of the Security Council “to act so that Russia rejects the path of war and assesses the cost for itself and for all of us — and, really, bring an end to this act of aggression.”

(With inputs from PTI)