Russia should move from “endless war towards the end of war”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told President Vladimir Putin on Monday, nudging the Russian leader yet again to end the more than four-year-old conflict that has had an adverse impact on the global community.
Modi’s Message to Putin
Footage beamed on television showed them jointly entering the venue. The two leaders met against the backdrop of increased tensions over Russian and Ukrainian attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea that have killed at least five Indian seafarers. “Every day spent perpetuating war pushes humanity backwards, and every step taken towards peace fills the whole of humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. “A peaceful resolution of all issues as soon as possible is the call of humanity, and this is also India’s message. The discussions between the two leaders covered key areas of cooperation such as defence, energy, mobility of workers, innovation, space, fertilisers and people-to-people contacts.
Modi and Putin are set to meet again within less than a fortnight when the Russian leader travels to New Delhi to participate in the Brics Summit to be held during September 12-13.
The impact of the attacks in the Black Sea on maritime trade and the safety of Indian seafarers figured in the discussions, the external affairs ministry said. We must move from endless war towards the end of war, which is very necessary for the well-being of humanity,” Modi said in televised opening remarks at the meeting with Putin. The land of Gandhi and Buddha has one message — the path of peace,” he said, speaking in Hindi. The remarks were largely in line with those made by Modi in past engagements with Putin — at their meeting following the start of the Ukraine conflict in Samarkand in September 2022, Modi had said that “today’s era is not of war”, while at a meeting in Moscow in July 2024, Modi had pointed out that “no solution to any conflict is possible on the battlefield”. Modi referred to Putin as “my friend” and said all Indians were eager to welcome him and his delegation as the visit will “strengthen bilateral relations and empower discussions and cooperation within Brics”. They also discussed regional and global issues, including the “conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers”, the external affairs ministry said.
Following their meeting, Modi and Putin travelled together in the Russian President’s limousine to the venue of the inaugural ceremony of the World Nomad Games , just as they had done after a meeting on the margins of the SCO Summit in Tianjin last year.
