Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continued attempts to find a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis.
Modi is currently on his first official bilateral visit to Russia since beginning a third consecutive term in office. It is also his first trip to the country since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Speaking with the Indian leader at the Kremlin on Tuesday following closed informal discussions the day before, Putin thanked Modi for “the attention you are paying to the most pressing problems, including trying to find some ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, of course, primarily by peaceful means.”
Modi in turn appreciated the fact that he and Putin were able to openly exchange their opinions on the situation in Ukraine.
“Yesterday, we had a wonderful opportunity to spend four or five hours at your residence, we discussed all the issues in a homely atmosphere. And I am very glad that on the topic of Ukraine, we exchanged views in an open manner, treated each other with respect and talked calmly,” Modi said.
The Indian prime minister also noted that Putin was “very open in expressing his opinions” on the issue and stated that “very interesting ideas and completely new views” emerged from their talks.
Meanwhile, the US has expressed concern over India’s relations with Russia and called on Modi to “emphasize Ukraine’s territorial integrity” during his meeting with Putin.