Indian Prime Minister has apparently rebuffed Putin’s war in Ukraine, telling him that “now is not a time of war,” CNN reported.
Speaking face-to-face with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Modi told him on 16 September of the need to “move onto a path of peace” and reminded him of the importance of “democracy, diplomacy and dialogue.”
“We will definitely get a chance to discuss how we can move onto the path of peace in the coming days, I will also get an opportunity to understand your point of view,” he added, according to a readout of the meeting by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Putin responded by saying he was aware of the Indian leader’s concerns.
On the previous day, Putin acknowledged that China’s leader Xi Jinping also had concerns about the war against Ukraine at the Samarkand summit.
“We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis,” Putin told Xi.
“We understand your questions and concern about this. During today’s meeting, we will of course explain our position,” Reuters reported.
China and India are currently the largest importers of Russian oil, and India gets most of its weapons from Russia. Since the invading, Beijing had performed a balancing act, criticizing western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of helping militarily.
The apparent diplomatic setbacks from countries it sought to make allies come amid Russia’s large battlefield defeats in Ukraine, as in the course of a week Russia lost more land than it gained since April.
