Sat, Nov 23, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 21, 1446 | DXB ktweather icon0°C

Indian PM Modi tells Putin he supports end to Ukraine war

Modi, who visited Kyiv on Friday, told Ukrainian President Zelensky that 'no problem should be solved on the battlefield'

Published: Tue 27 Aug 2024, 2:45 PM

Updated: Tue 27 Aug 2024, 4:38 PM

  • By
  • AFP

Top Stories

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin bids farewell to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 9. REUTERS

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin bids farewell to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 9. REUTERS

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that he supports a swift end to the grinding conflict in Ukraine after visiting the war-hit country.

Modi, 73, has trodden a delicate balance between maintaining India's historically warm ties with Russia while courting closer security partnerships with Western nations as a bulwark against regional rival China.

New Delhi has avoided explicit condemnations of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, instead urging both sides to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Modi said he had "exchanged perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict" with Putin and shared "my insights from the recent visit to Ukraine", in a post on social media.

He said he had "reiterated India's firm commitment to support an early, abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 9. REUTERS

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 9. REUTERS

Modi, who angered Ukrainians by hugging Putin in Moscow recently, visited Kyiv on Friday and told President Volodymyr Zelensky that "no problem should be solved on the battlefield".

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the entrance of the Mariinskyi Palace ahead of their meeting in Kyiv last week. AFP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the entrance of the Mariinskyi Palace ahead of their meeting in Kyiv last week. AFP

His chat with Putin comes a day after a call with US President Joe Biden, where Modi reiterated New Delhi's "consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy", an Indian foreign ministry statement said.

India and Russia have maintained close links since the Cold War, which saw the Kremlin become a key arms provider to the South Asian country.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyiv last week. AFP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyiv last week. AFP

Russia has also become a major supplier of cut-price crude oil to India since the Ukraine conflict began, providing a much-needed export market after the imposition of Western sanctions.

That has dramatically reconfigured their economic ties, with India saving billions of dollars while bolstering Moscow's war coffers.

India is part of the Quad grouping, with the United States, Japan and Australia, that positions itself against China's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.



Next Story