PM Modi tells Russian president now 'is not an era of war', Putin responds with this
1 min read . Updated: 16 Sep 2022, 07:13 PM IST
Premium- Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told PM Modi that he knows of India's 'concerns' on Ukraine war
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday told Russian President Vladimir Putin that now is not a time for war, with food, fertiliser and fuel security among the major concerns of the world at present, according to Reuters report. "I know that today's era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this," Modi told Putin on the sidelines of a regional security bloc summit in Uzbekistan. Notably, this is the first meeting between the two leaders after the Ukraine conflict broke out in February this year.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told PM Modi that he knows of India's 'concerns' on Ukraine war, according to AFP report. New Delhi and Moscow have longstanding ties dating back to the Cold War, and Russia remains by far India's biggest arms supplier, the report said, adding that in their first face-to-face meeting since Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine in February, Modi told Putin, “Excellency, I know today's time is not a time for war."
According to Reuters report, Putin said that he understood Modi's concerns about the Ukraine war and said “I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible." Modi and Putin reportedly spoke on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, whose permanent members, besides India, include China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Russian President said, “our trade is growing, thanks to your additional supplies of Russian fertilisers to the Indian markets, which have grown more than eight fold. I am hopeful that this is going to be of huge help of the agricultural sector of India," according to Reuters report.
It is important tot note that India has shied away from explicitly condemning Russia for the invasion, which sent the price of oil and other commodities soaring. PM Modi stressed the importance of "democracy and diplomacy and dialogue" in the meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, footage showed on Indian public service broadcaster Doordashan. PM Modi additionally said they would discuss "how to move forward on the path of peace, according to AFP report.
(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)
