India’s Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on the eve of the BRICS summit that he wanted peace in Ukraine and that New Delhi was ready to help achieve a truce to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two, Reuters reported.
Putin, who ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, wants the BRICS summit to showcase the rising clout of the non-Western world after the United States and its European and Asian allies tried to isolate Russia over the war.
Russia is expecting 22 leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping who arrived on Tuesday, to attend the summit meeting of the BRICS, which accounts for 45% of the world’s population and 35% of the global economy.
Putin, who is cast by the West as a war criminal, thanked Prime Minister Modi for accepting the invitation to visit Kazan, a city on the banks of the Volga, and said Russia and India shared a “privileged strategic partnership”.
Modi thanked Putin for his “strong friendship”, praised growing cooperation and the evolution of BRICS but also said that India felt the conflict in Ukraine should be ended peacefully.
“We have been in constant touch on the subject of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Modi said. “We believe that problems should be resolved only through peaceful means.”
“We fully support the early restoration of peace and stability. All our efforts give priority to humanity. India is ready to provide all possible support in the times to come,” he said, adding that he would discuss the issues with Putin.
Xi and Putin also discussed the Ukraine crisis, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, though he gave no details about those talks.
The BRICS summit takes place as global finance chiefs gather in Washington amid war in the Middle East as well as Ukraine, a flagging Chinese economy and worries that the U.S. presidential election could ignite new trade battles.
With BRICS expanding – and a waiting list of potential members – there is anxiety among some about whether expansion will make the group unwieldy.
China and India, the top purchasers of Russian oil, have seen ups and downs in their relations over the years with both countries most recently agreeing to a border patrol agreement along the Line of Actual Control.
