Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, said to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin that currently was “not a time for war” on Friday during the regional summit.
The capitals of both the nations, New Delhi and Moscow have longstanding ties, which dates back to the Cold War, & Russia remains by far India’s biggest arms supplier.
But in their face-to-face meeting since Russia called for invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Modi told Putin that, “Excellency, I know today’s time is not a time for war.”
India has shied away from explicitly criticising Russia for the invasion, which sent the price of oil and other commodities soaring.
But he noted the significance of “democracy and diplomacy and dialogue” in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, footage has shown on Indian public service broadcaster, Doordarshan.
Modi further asserted that, “They would discuss how to move forward on the path of peace.”
The SCO summit comes as Moscow forces face major battlefield setbacks in Ukraine, and represented a chance for Putin to show his nation had not been fully isolated despite Western efforts.
Putin said to Modi that, “I know your position on the war in Kyiv, your concerns. We shall do our best to end this war as soon as possible.”
Moreover, he added that Ukraine’s leadership had rejected talks” and stated that it wants to achieve its target by military means, on the battlefield.”
On Thursday, Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and acknowledged that his key ally Beijing also had “concerns” over the conflict.