In a renewed call for peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict with Ukraine through talks, asserting that waging war is not the solution to longstanding issues, sources told news agency ANI on Tuesday.
"There is no solution on the battlefield. Dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward," the Prime Minister conveyed to Putin, according to sources, who added that India maintains its stance on respecting the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty.
PM Modi's appeal to Putin comes less than a month after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit. Incidentally, PM Modi's visit to Russia is his first since the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv began in 2022.
The Prime Minister is set to engage in talks with Putin before wrapping up his visit later in the day. The two leaders will also co-chair the 22nd India-Russia annual summit, where they will explore ways to further expand bilateral relations in trade, energy, and defence.
In a big diplomatic win for India, Russia agreed to free the Indian nationals recruited to fight the war in Ukraine and facilitate their return home after PM Modi strongly raised the matter with Putin.
Speaking about the Indians recruited for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, sources indicated that India raised the issue in the strongest terms. At least four Indians have been killed so far, and about 35-50 recruits are believed to be in the Russian army, and getting them back was the "top priority" going into the bilateral.
PM Modi will hold in-person meetings with Putin for 8-9 hours during his nearly 24-hour stay in Russia, including both one-on-one and delegation-level talks, sources told news agency PTI.
Talking about the day's agenda, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, "Around noon, Putin and Modi will start talking. We expect that there will be a private conversation, as well as Russian-Indian talks over an official breakfast."
At the 22nd India-Russia annual summit, the economic agenda is expected to be the "principal agenda", with the Indian side aiming to narrow the trade imbalance that has risen due to a significant increase in energy imports from Russia over the last two years.
The annual summit is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries. The last summit saw both sides sealing 28 MoUs and agreements.
On Monday, PM Modi arrived in Moscow on his first trip to Russia since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. PM Modi greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin with a hug as they met at Novo-Ogaryovo for a "private engagement," where the latter heaped praise on the visiting Indian leader.
During the informal meeting with Putin at his residence, the two leaders drank tea on a terrace, rode in a golf cart together and visited stables, their bonhomie on full display.
"I would like to congratulate you on your reelection as prime minister. I think this is not an accident, but the result of your work over many years," Putin told Modi. "You have your own ideas. You are a very energetic person, able to achieve results in the interests of India and the Indian people."
PM Modi expressed his gratitude to President Putin for hosting him at Novo-Ogaryovo and looked forward to their talks, which he believes will further cement the bonds of friendship between India and Russia.
After Russia, PM Modi will visit Austria, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country in over 40 years.
