With still no end in sight to the Russia-Ukraine war, PM Narendra Modi renewed his message of peace to Russian President Vladimir Putin saying on this occasion that it was time to move from an endless war to the end of war for the sake of humanity.Modi delivered the message in his opening remarks before a bilateral meeting with Putin on the margins of the SCO heads of state summit in Bishkek in which the leaders focused on expanding cooperation in energy, defence, innovation, space, fertilisers and people-to-people linkages.The endless war to end of war message is the latest in a series of televised statements by Modi before Putin for the return of peace, beginning with his assertion in 2022 – frequently cited by the Western world and even making it to the G20 Bali Declaration that year – that this wasn’t the era of war. That message too was delivered on the margins of another SCO summit in Samarkand. He followed it up with a message to Putin in Moscow in 2024 – in the midst of an outrage in the West over his Russia visit – that no solution can be found on the battlefield.Modi told Putin in Bishkek that India supports all efforts for peace and will continue to do so in the future, adding that an early end to the war was the call of humanity and also the message from the land of Buddha and Gandhi.“Every day spent in the war pushes humanity back. And every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We will have to move from an endless war to an end of war, which is very important for humanity’s well-being,” said the PM.“That all issues are resolved peacefully as soon as possible is the call of humanity. This is the message of India. This is the message of the land of Gandhi and the land of Buddha – the path to peace,” said Modi, adding that he was looking forward to welcoming Putin for the BRICS summit. India’s balancing act on the war saw Modi travelling to Ukraine a few months after his visit to Russia in 2024.According to foreign secretary Vikram Misri, Modi conveyed to Putin India’s readiness to do whatever is feasible and necessary at India’s end to move the conflict towards an end because “it is exacting a very heavy toll on the global community at large”.
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“Had extensive discussions with President Putin. Discussed the full range of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. It is gladdening to see significant progress across various sectors in recent years,” said Modi in a post on X.In his own televised statement, Putin acknowledged Modi’s personal attention to the development of bilateral ties. Putin also said Russia was preparing “seriously” for the BRICS summit in India and highlighted that over the past 10 years, the number of Indian students in Russia has shot up to 40,000.According to an Indian readout, the leaders exchanged views on India-Russia engagement in the multilateral arena, in particular in BRICS under India’s Chairship for 2026. “They also shared perspectives on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers,” said the Indian readout, adding that Modi reiterated dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward in resolving conflicts.The two leaders agreed to remain in touch to further strengthen the partnership, acknowledging its growth and resilience against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties.
