Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told Russian President Vladimir Putin of his country's readiness to assist in bringing a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Brics summit in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday, their second encounter in about three months.
Mr Modi reaffirmed that the war, which started in February 2022, needs to be resolved peacefully. “We have been in constant touch over Russia’s conflict with Ukraine," he said. "As I have said earlier, too, we believe that disputes should only be resolved peacefully. We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability."
More than 35,000 people have been killed in the war, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates.
“All our efforts put humanity first," Mr Modi added. "India is ready to offer all possible support on this in the coming time. Today is another important opportunity to discuss all these issues.”
Russia is chairing the two-day summit that is expected to cover a broad range of issues, including economic co-operation, climate change and digital inclusion.
Brics is an alliance which initially included five emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The intergovernmental organisation admitted four new members, the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran, after a decision to expand was made at the Brics summit in Johannesburg in August last year. Together the Brics countries now account for about 37.3 per cent of the world's GDP, according to the European Parliament, or more than half as much as the EU (14.5 per cent).
In July, Mr Modi visited Moscow at the invitation of Mr Putin for the 22nd Russia-India annual summit – the highest dialogue mechanism between the nations. The trip prompted angry reactions from Ukraine.
India is a long-time partner of Russia and New Delhi has sought to galvanise the relationship despite the objections of the US and many other western countries.
Mr Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping also discussed Ukraine and other global issues during their meeting on the sidelines of the summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The two leaders reaffirmed their strong strategic partnership and outlined plans for future co-operation, Mr Peskov added.
Mr Modi later met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who expressed "deep concern" over the widening of Israel's conflict with Iran-backed groups in neighbouring countries. The war in Lebanon exploded from tit-for-tat strikes last month, leaving more than 2,500 people dead and in excess of a million displaced as Israel rains bombs down on villages in the south and the capital Beirut. Mr Modi reiterated India’s call to de-escalate the situation, a statement from his office said, and emphasised the need to protect civilians.
