ALEXANDER KAZAKOV; SPUTNIK ; KREMLIN POOL/EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India.
New Delhi, which abstains at the UN, “supports a peaceful solution”. Kremlin leader arrived in the Indian capital on Thursday night with the aim of strengthening his trade and defense alliance against Western sanctions.
The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modihe told the Russian president this Thursday, Vladimir Putinthat your country does not maintain a neutral position regarding the conflict in Ukraine, but rather actively aligns itself in favor of peace.
“In recent days, whenever I have spoken to leaders of the international community and discussed this issue in detail, I have always stated that India is not neutral. India has a clear position, and that position is in favor of peace. We support all efforts towards peace,” said the Indian leader.
The statement was made during the start of official talks at the annual summit that the two leaders are holding in New Delhi, India.
In his televised speech at the opening of the meeting, Modi emphasized the urgency of ending the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
“We support a peaceful solution”the Indian president told Putin, making a fundamental semantic distinction in the face of Western criticism that often interprets India’s abstention at the UN as indifference or tacit support for Moscow.
Modi’s statement seeks to redefine New Delhi’s strategic position at a time of international pressure.
Although India has not explicitly condemned the invasion that began in 2022 and became the second largest buyer of Russian crudethe Prime Minister insisted that the solution will not come from the battlefield.
Putin also said that Russia was ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India, despite the objection of Trump, who has been pressuring New Delhi to halt oil purchases from Moscow.
The US imposed an additional 25% tariff on India on its purchases of Russian oil, alleging that the country was financing Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
This meeting marks the highlight of Putin’s first state visit to India in three years. The Kremlin leader arrived in the Indian capital on Thursday night with the aim of strengthening his trade and defense alliance against Western sanctions, while Modi tries to balance his historic ties with Moscow without alienating his partners in Washington and Europe.
