PM Modi presses President Putin to end conflict in Ukraine; says 'today's era is not of war'

“Today’s era is not of war. Today we will get the opportunity to talk about how we can progress on the path of peace. India, Russia have stayed together with each other for several decades,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells Russian President Vladamir Putin.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine soon, saying "today's era is not of war" even as he called for finding ways to address the global food and energy security crisis.

In a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this Silk Road city, Modi also underlined the importance of "democracy, dialogue and diplomacy" while calling for an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.

"Today the biggest worry before the world, especially developing countries, is food security, fuel security, fertilisers. We must find ways on these problems and you will also have to consider it. We will get an opportunity to talk about these issues," Modi said in his opening remarks.

It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after the Ukraine conflict began in February. "I know today's era is not of war. We discussed this issue with you on phone several times, that democracy, diplomacy and dialogue touch the entire world. We will have the opportunity to talk today about how we can move forward on the road of peace in the coming days," Modi said.

On his part, Putin told Modi that he was aware of India's concerns over the Ukraine conflict and that Russia will do everything possible to end it as soon as possible. "I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine. I know about your concerns. I know that you share these concerns and we all want an end to all of these as soon as possible," Putin said in his televised opening remarks at the meeting.

The Russian President said Ukraine has refused to engage in the negotiation process and it wants to achieve its "objectives on the battlefield militarily." "We will keep you abreast of everything that is happening over there," Putin conveyed to Modi.

Putin greets Modi on birthday

Putin also greeted Modi on his birthday on Saturday. "I also know that tomorrow, my dear friend, you are about to celebrate your birthday. As part of Russian tradition we never offer congratulations in advance. So I cannot do that right now...we wish all the very best to the friendly Indian nation and we wish prosperity to India under your leadership," he said.

In his opening remarks, President Putin said the ties between India and Russia continued to develop "very rapidly" and both sides are actively engaged at international platforms on key issues. "It is important that we constantly coordinate our positions," he said. Putin also referred to increase in bilateral trade turnover.

"The trade turnover is growing, in particular due to the supplies, as you asked to do, of additional deliveries of Russian fertilizers to the Indian market," Putin said. "Deliveries of fertilizers from Russia to India have increased by more than eight times," he added.

The prime minister said he is thankful to Russia and Ukraine for facilitating rescue of Indian students from various areas of Ukraine in the initial phase of the conflict. "I would like to thank Ukraine and you because in the initial days of this crisis, thousands of our students were stuck in Ukraine. We managed to get our students safely out of Ukraine with help from you and Ukraine. I am thankful to both the countries," he said.

In his remarks, Putin also talked about his "warm memories" of visiting India in December last year and invited Modi to visit Russia. In a tweet, the prime minister's office described the talks as "productive". "The two leaders had productive discussions on a wide range of subjects aimed at further strengthening India-Russia ties," it said on Twitter.