Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “very good ideas” for ending the Ukraine conflict and has repeatedly pressed for its peaceful settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
Modi has refused to take sides in the conflict, despite pressure from the West to isolate Russia. This neutrality has given India the room to discuss the need for a peaceful end to the conflict with both Moscow and Kiev.
Putin told the annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting on Thursday that Modi raises the Ukraine conflict at every meeting between them, despite their close personal relationship, and has proposed ideas aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions. He thanked Modi for those efforts but did not disclose details of the proposals.
The Russian leader briefed Modi on the ongoing peace initiatives when they met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi last month, where the Indian prime minister reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy and said India stood ready to assist peace efforts.
At the earlier Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Modi told Putin, “We need to move from endless war to an end to the war.”
Moscow, too, has welcomed New Delhi’s efforts at peace. Ahead of the BRICS Summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia appreciates Indian initiatives to help end the conflict.
In an August interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Modi said both Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had shared their perspectives on the conflict with him. Putin said last week that proposals for a settlement remained on the table, although Moscow would have to assess them against its own interests.
Meanwhile, Washington has proposed a trilateral meeting with Russia and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates, Zelensky said last week. The proposed talks would take place at a technical level, but a date has yet to be agreed. The Kremlin said such a meeting could take place soon.