Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a regional summit on Friday told the Russian president that “this is not the right time for war”. Both leaders are said to have a conversation during the summit. Modi emphasized the importance of democracy, diplomacy and dialogue in the meeting held during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Remarkably, New Delhi and Moscow have had long-standing ties since the Cold War, and Russia is India’s largest arms supplier. But in their first face-to-face meeting since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Modi told Putin, that this was not a time for war. India does not want to stand against Russia despite the increase in the price of oil and other commodities due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Modi said that there was a discussion between them on how to proceed on the path of peace.
The SCO summit comes at a time when Russian forces are facing major battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and represents an opportunity for Putin to show that his country is not completely alone, despite Western efforts. “I know your concern and your position on the conflict in Ukraine. We will try our best to end it as soon as possible,” Putin told Modi.
But Putin claimed that Ukraine’s leadership rejected negotiations and wanted to achieve its goals through military means on the battlefield.
