Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for an end to the war in Ukraine during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

Mr Modi “reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine”, the Indian foreign ministry said.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China.

He also “emphasised the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict and find a durable peace settlement,” the ministry added.

New Delhi has largely sought to maintain neutrality in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which began with the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

While India has backed peace efforts, it also warned Moscow not to use nuclear weapons.

India became the second-leading customer for Russian oil after European countries moved to cut off their imports in response to the war.

Seeking to put pressure on Russia to end the conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump recently imposed 50 per cent tariffs on imports from India over its trade with Moscow.

The move has yet to drive a wedge between the two nuclear powers, however, with Mr Modi posting on X that he had an “excellent meeting” with Mr Putin in Tianjin.

According to Russian media, the two leaders spoke for around 50 minutes in Mr Putin’s presidential limousine on their way to the official bilateral meeting.

The talks centred on “ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture,” Mr Modi added on X. 

(dpa/NAN)