India's prime minister tells Putin to end 'endless war' against Ukraine
"We need to move from endless war to an end to the war," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin on the sidelines of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 31 to shift the focus from Russia's never-ending war to Ukraine, towards ending the conflict. The statement represented a public plea from a partner nation and a key energy consumer for Moscow to put an end to the war, even as India continues to fortify its economic ties with Russia.
"Every day that the war persists, humanity is essentially taken a step back, while every step towards peace provides all humanity genuine hope for peace," Modi told Putin during the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. "We must transition from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities."
Modi also emphasized India's stance that dialogue and diplomacy are the paths to resolving disputes, according to the Prime Minister's Office. During their first face-to-face meeting this year, the two leaders talked about defense, energy, trade, space, mobility, the Black Sea region, maritime trade, and the safety of Indian seafarers.
Russian state media reported that Putin updated Modi on developments in Russia's war against Ukraine. Despite being Russia's second-largest customer of fossil fuels, after China, India remains committed to deepening its economic relationship with Russia. Putin also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, although the Kremlin claimed their discussions only "superficially" broached the war in Ukraine, focusing on bilateral relations.
While Modi publicly referred to Putin as "my friend" and applauded the growing economic ties between India and Russia, he also called for an end to the war. In July, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also publicly advocated for a freeze in Russia's war against Ukraine, urging a return to peace talks. This marked a rare public call from a leader of one of Russia's close regional partners for Moscow to pursue a negotiated conclusion to the war.
India and Russia will continue to strengthen what India refers to as their "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership." Modi expressed hope to host Putin in India for the BRICS summit on September 12-13.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
