Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
During the meeting, Mr Modi told Mr Putin that “India supports all efforts towards peace, and will continue to do so. Every day of war sets humanity back, whereas every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We must move away from endless war towards an end to the war. This is crucial for the well-being of humanity. A peaceful resolution to all issues at the earliest is the call of humanity, and this is India’s message. The land of Gandhi and Buddha shares a single message: the path of peace.”
The two leaders are expected to meet again soon when Mr Putin travels to India for the 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled for 12 and 13 September.
India and Russia have long maintained close ties, with Moscow remaining a major source of energy for New Delhi. India has also benefited from discounted Russian oil imports.
In a fresh sign of thaw in India-China ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged a firm handshake and held a brief conversation on the sidelines of the meeting.
Easing of Beijing’s visa restrictions for businesses, a formal full resumption of direct civilian flights, addressing asymmetry in bilateral trade, an evaluation of gradual relaxation of India’s restrictions on Chinese investments and de-escalation along sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), are likely to be some of the issues to be discussed between the two leaders when they will meet in the near future in New Delhi.
