Putin says Modi has strong ideas for mutual settlement of Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "very good ideas" on a mutual settlement of the Ukraine conflict and raises the issue at "every meeting" they have. Putin made the remarks on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, according to state-run TASS news agency.

Putin's comments came weeks after he and Modi held talks ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi last month, during which the Russian leader briefed the Prime Minister on the overall situation regarding the Ukraine war and ongoing peace initiatives. A few days earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said Russia would welcome any peace efforts by India to end the conflict.

"As for Prime Minister Modi's position on ending wars, I can say that he is one of those world leaders who, despite our very good, even friendly relations, including at the personal level, constantly raises the issue and asks questions about ending the conflict in Ukraine," Putin said.

The Russian leader said Modi "brings up these matters at every meeting we have and takes a keen interest in them". "He has very good ideas aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions," Putin added.

The Ukraine war began in February 2022. Peskov had said Moscow's strategy aligns closely with New Delhi's position that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

Putin also spoke about India at the forum on Wednesday and expressed appreciation for the country's cultural diversity and unity. "India cannot fail to amaze with its scale and diversity," he said.

"Few people know this, but Mr. [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi told me that of the 1.5 billion people, 600 million Indians speak their native language, Hindi, while most speak their own languages, and they all live together - amazing," he said.

Asserting that this cannot fail to inspire admiration, Putin said, "There is something unique about Indian culture that can certainly serve as an example of how diversity and unity can coexist. It is certainly something to learn from." In his remarks at the forum, Putin highlighted both Modi's continued interest in efforts to end the Ukraine conflict and his admiration for India's unity in diversity.