Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war with Ukraine and return to the path of talks, addressing the issues of food and energy security faced by developing countries.

In his interaction with Mr. Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan’s historic city of Samarkand, Mr. Modi highlighted the need for an early end to hostilities and the need for dialogue and diplomacy. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the summit held in New Delhi last December.

“I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this.” The Indian Prime Minister shared.

But Mr. Putin revealed that Kyiv rejected the talks and decided to pursue its own goals “on the battlefield”.

“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express, we will do everything to stop this as soon as possible. Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its rejection of the negotiation process and stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means.” the Russian President added.

New Delhi and Moscow have long-standing ties dating back to the Cold War, with Russia being India’s largest arms supplier. In a telephonic conversation with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Modi has even suggested direct talks between the two sides. This is the first time he has publicly called on Putin to end the war.

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