Move From 'Endless War To End Of War': PM Modi To Russian President Putin During SCO Summit

New Delhi: Calling for an immediate end to the Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to move from "endless war to the end of war," asserting that a peaceful resolution of the conflict is humanity's shared priority.

In a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, Modi said every day of war sets humanity back and that India, the land of Gandhi and Buddha, supports all efforts towards peace and will continue to do so.

The two leaders also discussed ongoing cooperation in trade, investment, energy, fertiliser and security, among others.

"We have been discussing the Ukraine issue. When we met previously, you briefed me in detail on all aspects of the matter. As you know, India supports all efforts towards peace and will continue to do so," Modi said in his televised opening remarks at the meeting.

"Every day of war sets humanity back, whereas every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We must move away from endless war towards an end to the war," he said.

"This is crucial for the well-being of humanity. A peaceful resolution to all issues at the earliest is the call of humanity, and this is India's message. The land of Gandhi and Buddha shares a single message: the path of peace," Modi said.

India has been under pressure from the US to scale back its engagement with Russia even as Washington seeks to put pressure on Putin to move forward with a resolution to the Ukraine war.

As a result, India, as part of its policy of strategic autonomy, has sought to balance ties with the US and Russia.

Explaining what PM Modi meant by his statement on an "end to war", Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri at a press briefing said, "PM Modi reiterated to President Putin that India is ready to do whatever is feasible, is necessary at our end to move this conflict towards a conclusion because it is exacting a heavy toll on the global community at large."

Misri said that the two leaders had discussed Ukraine "in detail".

The talks also came over a week before Putin travels to India to attend the annual BRICS summit.

Putin, on his part, said Russia-India relations have witnessed an upswing, and thanked Modi for paying "personal attention to the development of Russian-Indian relations."

Ties between the two countries have remained strong even as India has emerged as the second-largest buyer of Russian oil after China.

Trade was worth US$60 billion in 2025-2026, largely due to India’s purchases of Russian oil.

The SCO became a venue for bilateral meetings ahead of the leaders' summit and is being closely watched by the US and other Western countries.

The West often perceives the SCO as an anti-West grouping.

Putin also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said the foundations of bilateral ​ties will be stronger, ​with brighter prospects, China's state-run ⁠Xinhua reported.

China is willing to work with Russia ‌and ⁠other countries to "strengthen the forces leading the reform of global governance and advancing an ​equal and ​orderly ⁠multipolar world", Xi said.

Putin said Russia is willing to create a visa-free regime.

The two countries have a temporary visa-free travel agreement for short-term visits of up to 30 day

“We are ready to work together to make the visa-free regime permanent if the Chinese side considers this possible and useful,” Putin told Xi, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

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