Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated calls to end the Ukraine war during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
According to a statement from the Indian Foreign Ministry, Modi expressed support for recent efforts aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict and underlined the importance of accelerating an end to hostilities and securing a lasting peaceful resolution.
The talks took place alongside the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China.
India has maintained a largely neutral stance since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While advocating for peaceful dialogue, New Delhi has also cautioned Moscow against the use of nuclear weapons.
The country has also emerged as a major buyer of Russian oil, stepping in as a key customer after European nations reduced their imports in response to the war.
More recently, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on imports from India in an effort to pressure Moscow by targeting its trade partners. Despite these measures, relations between India and Russia appear unaffected.
Modi described the encounter as an “excellent meeting” in a post on social media platform X. Russian media reported that the two leaders spoke for approximately 50 minutes inside Putin’s presidential limousine en route to formal bilateral discussions.
Modi added that the conversation focused on expanding cooperation across several areas, including trade, fertilisers, space exploration, security, and cultural exchange.