Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told Russian President Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine needs to end for humanity’s sake and that New Delhi would support every peace effort to stop the fighting.
Mr Modi, who made his comments at the start of talks with Mr Putin in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, called the president “my friend” and hailed growing economic ties between the two countries, which he said were guided by the need to put the interests of both nations above all else.
India, along with China, is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, which has helped Moscow replenish its budget since it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022 and was hit with sweeping Western sanctions.
“As you are aware, India supports all peace efforts in this regard, and we shall continue to do so in the future,” the prime minister told Mr Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, according to a Kremlin transcript of their exchange.
“Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace,” he said.
“We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities.
“And we will need to move precisely in this direction.”
Mr Putin thanked the Indian leader and said, “we are moving forward along this path.”
The Kremlin — which has repeatedly said Russia is only ready to end the war on its own terms, which Ukraine has dismissed as an unacceptable demand to capitulate — said after the talks Mr Putin had briefed Mr Modi on how the special military operation, Russia’s preferred description for its action in Ukraine, was progressing, the state TASS news agency reported.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in the United States, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ruled out economic relief for Russia in talks with Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
Mr Bessent met bilaterally with Mr Siluanov at a G20 finance leaders meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, and a source familiar with the meeting said Mr Bessent said agreements on other issues were impossible unless the war in Ukraine ended.
The meeting in North Carolina marked the Russian finance minister’s first in-person G20 appearance since Russia invaded Ukraine.
His appearance irritated European officials who are working on more sanctions against Russia.
Earlier, a US official told Reuters the focus of the meeting was US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine.
Russia’s finance ministry said the two officials discussed financial cooperation within the G20 framework.
The US imposed sanctions on Russia’s oil majors in October 2025, but after the US-Israeli war against Iran cut off energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Bessent issued licenses allowing the sale of seaborne Russian oil stored in tankers to ease supplies, with some of the funds going to Moscow.
