Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, emphasizing that close cooperation between India and Russia is vital for global peace, prosperity, and stability.
“The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including in the economic, financial, and energy sectors and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in bilateral ties in these areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Welcoming recent initiatives to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, PM Modi said that the parties involved must move forward “constructively.”
“It is a great pleasure to meet you, and I always feel that every meeting with you becomes a memorable one. It provides us an opportunity to exchange a lot of information. We remain in constant contact and have held several bilateral meetings,” PM Modi said in his opening remarks.
Putin is scheduled to visit India in December for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. PM Modi said that the people of India were “eagerly waiting” for the Russian President’s visit.
“This is the definition of our deep, ‘special and privileged strategic partnership.’ In the most difficult times too, India and Russia have always walked shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. Our close cooperation is not only important for the people of both countries but also for peace, prosperity, and stability in the world,” PM Modi said.
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s position of supporting dialogue and peaceful resolution.
“We welcome the recent efforts toward resolving the conflict. We hope that all the involved parties will proceed constructively. Humanity demands that we find ways to end this conflict as soon as possible to restore peace and stability in the region,” PM Modi said.
“The two leaders reaffirmed their support for further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” the MEA said.
Earlier, PM Modi and President Putin shared a car ride to the venue of their bilateral talks.
At the SCO Summit, President Putin acknowledged India’s role, stating that Moscow “highly values” the contributions of New Delhi, Beijing, and other strategic partners in facilitating peace efforts in Ukraine.
“We highly value the efforts and proposals of China, India, and our other strategic partners aimed at facilitating the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said.
He also referred to the “understandings” reached with US President Donald Trump during their summit in Alaska in August, expressing hope that they would pave the way for peace in Ukraine.
According to MEA, the Summit witnessed productive discussions on the SCO Development Strategy, reform of global governance, counter-terrorism, peace and security, economic and financial cooperation, and sustainable development.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi shared a photograph with President Putin, showing the two leaders shaking hands and embracing on the sidelines of the summit. “Always a delight to meet President Putin!” he wrote in a post on X.
India has consistently reiterated its position in favour of a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and has extended support to all efforts in this direction.
As PM Modi arrived in China from Japan on Saturday, he received a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who briefed him on his negotiations in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders.
According to Zelensky, the conversation with PM Modi was “productive and important.” He added that India had expressed its readiness to make the necessary efforts and “convey the appropriate signal to Russia” and other leaders during discussions at the SCO Summit.
PM Modi later said he exchanged views with Zelensky on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian dimension, and efforts to restore peace and stability. “India extends full support to all efforts in this direction,” he said on X.
On August 18, Putin had also spoken to PM Modi over a phone call, sharing his assessment of the Alaska meeting with Trump. PM Modi welcomed the dialogue, describing it as a positive step toward resolving the crisis.
(With inputs from IANS)