Indian prime minister Narendra Modi implored Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Kyrgyzstan that Russia’s war in Ukraine needed to end for the sake of humanity.
Mr Modi called the Russian president “my friend” and hailed growing economic ties between their countries before pivoting to the years-long war in Ukraine.
Mr Putin looked tense, constantly tapping his feet, at the beginning of the meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on Monday.
“Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace. We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities,” Mr Modi said.
“And we will need to move precisely in this direction.”
Mr Modi went on to call for a peaceful settlement of the conflict which began in early 2022. “India supports all peace efforts in this regard, and we shall continue to do so in the future,” he said.
“Thank you very much, prime minister,” Mr Putin responded. “We are moving forward along this path.”
India is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and that trade is helping Moscow replenish its budget despite sweeping Western sanctions.
Russia says that the only way to end the war is on Moscow’s terms but Ukraine dismisses it as an unacceptable demand.
In a statement reported by the TASS news agency, the Kremlin said Mr Putin had briefed Mr Modi on how the special military operation – Russia’s description for the Ukraine war – was progressing.
The same day, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “detailed and constructive” call with US president Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and that they were working to finalise dates for a visit to Kyiv.
Mr Modi had previously called for peace in eastern Europe, but stopped short of criticising Russia over the war.
“India is not neutral,” he told the Russian leader during his December 2024 visit to India. “India has a position, and that position is for peace. We support every effort for peace, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with every initiative taken for peace.”
Mr Putin is expected to attend a summit of the Brics bloc in Delhi in September.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continued to launch drone attacks at each other’s energy facilities and warehouses.
Russian forces struck military and energy infrastructure in Kyiv and Odesa overnight, and targeted surrounding areas, killing at least nine people, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday. The attacks killed eight people and wounded five in Kyiv and caused fires around the capital, the city’s emergency service said on Telegram.