“In the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, PM Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward in his conversation with Russian President Putin,” said the Prime Minister’s Office.
This was the first interaction between the two leaders following their bilateral meeting in September on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
In some straight talk with Putin during the in-person bilateral meeting in Samakrand, PM Modi had said that this wasn’t the era of war, while also underlining the significance of democracy, dialogue and diplomacy. The PM’s message resonated around the world with many global leaders repeating the phrase to criticise Russia.
On Friday, the PMO said the two leaders reviewed several aspects of the bilateral relationship, including energy cooperation, trade and investments, defence and security cooperation, and other key areas.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that Putin gave PM Modi “fundamental assessments” of the conflict in Ukraine.
It also said that the leaders expressed satisfaction with the high level of cooperation in their “privileged strategic partnership” and discussed prospects for the two countries to work together in areas such as investment, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics.
PM Modi also briefed President Putin on India’s ongoing Presidency of G-20, highlighting its key priorities. He also looked forward to both countries working together during India’s Chairship of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. They agreed to remain in regular touch with each other, the PMO added.
In October, the PM had held talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict, while also underlining that endangerment of nuclear facilities could have catastrophic consequences.
India has been calling for an end to the war that Ukraine has been fighting for nearly 10 months.
(With inputs from agencies)