(BBC) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has been urged by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a close ally, to end Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
“Every day spent in war pushes humanity back, and every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm,” Modi said on Monday.
Modi, whose country’s economy depends heavily on discounted oil from Moscow, has made several similar pleas to Putin since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
BBC correspondents in Delhi and Moscow look at what lies behind Modi’s renewed appeal for peace, and Putin’s response.
Modi’s comments on ending the war in Ukraine are not surprising and don’t suggest any tactical change in India’s foreign policy.
In fact, speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in 2022 – less than a year into the conflict – Modi told Putin publicly that “now is not the time for war”.
