BISHKEK: With no end to the Russia-Ukraine war in sight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi renewed his call for peace during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the world must move from an “endless war” towards an “end of war” for the sake of humanity.
Modi made the remarks in his opening statement before a bilateral meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of State Summit in Bishkek. The two leaders discussed expanding cooperation in areas including energy, defence, innovation, space, fertilisers and people-to-people ties.
Modi’s latest message is part of a series of public appeals for peace made during his meetings with Putin. In 2022, he told the Russian president that “this isn’t an era of war” during an SCO summit in Samarkand. The remark was subsequently cited widely in the West and was reflected in the G20 Bali Declaration that year.
During his visit to Moscow in 2024, Modi again told Putin that a solution to the conflict could not be found on the battlefield. His latest comments in Bishkek come as the war continues with no clear resolution in sight.
“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,” Modi said.
He added that India supports all efforts aimed at achieving peace and would continue to do so.
“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,” Modi said, while adding that he looked forward to welcoming Putin to India for the upcoming BRICS summit.
India’s diplomatic balancing act over the war also saw Modi visit Ukraine in 2024, a few months after his trip to Russia.
According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Modi told Putin that India was prepared to do whatever was feasible and necessary from its side to help move the conflict towards an end, as the war was “exacting a very heavy toll on the global community at large”.
Following the meeting, Modi said on X that the two leaders had held “extensive discussions” on the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership and noted significant progress across several sectors in recent years.
Putin, in his televised remarks, acknowledged Modi’s personal attention to strengthening bilateral ties. He also said Russia was making serious preparations for the BRICS summit in India and noted that the number of Indian students studying in Russia had risen to around 40,000 over the past decade.
According to an Indian readout, the leaders also discussed India-Russia cooperation in multilateral forums, particularly BRICS under India’s chairship in 2026. They exchanged views on major regional and global developments, including conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region.
The Indian readout noted that the conflicts had affected maritime trade as well as the safety and security of Indian seafarers. Modi reiterated India’s position that dialogue and diplomacy remain the way forward for resolving conflicts.
The two leaders agreed to remain in regular contact and work towards further strengthening the bilateral partnership, which they described as resilient despite continuing geopolitical uncertainties.
