Nepal UK
Photo- Agencies
New Delhi – Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday.
Prime Minister Modi told President Putin that India stands for peace and emphasised the need for the world to return to peaceful coexistence, in reference to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“The world should return to peace, and we support every effort towards peace. India is not neutral; India is on the side of peace. India–Russia relations should grow and touch new heights,” said PM Modi.
Putin in return thanked PM Modi, saying that he was grateful for the attention India was paying to peace efforts on Ukraine, Indian Express newspaper reported.
“We had the opportunity – and you gave me that opportunity – to speak in detail about what is happening on the Ukrainian track and about the steps we are taking jointly with some other partners, including the United States, toward a possible peaceful settlement of this crisis,” Putin said.
“The two nations also have relations in military sphere, in space development, artificial intelligence and other areas,” Putin said. He added, “We have a very trusting relationship in the field of military-technical cooperation, and we intend to move forward in all these areas.”
President Putin, who is on a two-day visit to India, was received by PM Modi at Palam Airport on Thursday. The leaders shared a warm handshake, embraced, and then traveled together in the same car to 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the official residence of the Indian Prime Minister.
“The message to the world was loud and clear - Delhi’s relations with Moscow will not be dictated by pressure from the US. (PM Modi) will be cautious that his proximity to Putin should not come at the cost of ties with Donald Trump, which have been unpredictable for some time,” BBC reported.
Al Jazeera news reported that Putin’s 30-hour speed trip coincides with a tense turn in relations between Washington and New Delhi, with the United States also punishing India with tariffs and a sanctions threat for its strong historic ties with Russia and a surge in its purchase of Russian crude during the Ukraine war.
That tension has, in turn, made India’s longstanding balancing act between Russia and the West an even more delicate tightrope walk, the news report said.
