As the Ukraine war entered its ninth month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that "today's era isn't of war". Modi and Putin held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan on Friday.
"Today's era isn't of war and I have spoken to you about it on the call. Today we will get the opportunity to talk about how can we progress on the path of peace. India-Russia has stayed together with each other for several decades," ANI quoted PM Modi as saying.
In response, Putin said Russia wanted the war to end as soon as possible. "I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine and also about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there," the Russian President told PM Modi.
India has so far refrained from criticising Russia for its invasion of Ukraine despite pressure from Western nations. New Delhi has been pushing for resolution of the crisis through dialogue.
Putin congratulated India for assuming the SCO presidency the following year. Apart from the Russian President, Chinese President Xi Jinping also congratulated India for the SCO presidency in 2023.
PM Modi thanked Russia and Ukraine for helping in the evacuation of Indian students stranded due to the war, which broke out in February.
Thousands of Indian students studying MBBS in Ukraine had to abandon their studies and leave the war-torn country after Russia invaded in February. The Indian government organised special flights to evacuate over 22,000 Indians from Ukraine.
"We spoke on the phone several times about India-Russia bilateral relations and also on various issues. We should find ways to address the problems of food, fuel security and fertilizers. I want to thank Russia and Ukraine for helping us to evacuate our students from Ukraine," PM Modi said.
The two leaders discussed issues pertaining to strategic stability, trade, the situation in the Asia Pacific region and bilateral cooperation within the UN and G20.
The talks assume importance as India will preside the UN Security Council in December, and, in 2023, India will lead the SCO and will also chair the G20.
Russia has been a key supplier if weapons and energy to India. In the first seven months of this year, India's imports from Russia stood at a little over $13 billion compared with just $2 billion a year earlier, according to Commerce Ministry figures, cited Bloomberg.