• Indian PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discuss Ukraine conflict.
• Modi says democracy, diplomacy and dialogue keep the world together.
• Russia is trying to forge closer ties with China and India as it faces isolation from the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

With food, fertiliser, and fuel security among the world’s key worries at the moment, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Russian President Vladimir Putin that now is not the time for conflict.

“I know that today’s era is not one of conflict,” Modi said on the sidelines of a regional security bloc summit in Uzbekistan, adding that democracy, diplomacy, and conversation held the globe together.

According to a readout of a bilateral meeting issued by the Kremlin, Putin responded that he understood New Delhi’s concerns over the Ukraine crisis and wanted it to end “as quickly as feasible.”

“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express,” he told Modi on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

“We will do everything to stop this as soon as possible. Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its rejection of the negotiation process and stated that it wants to achieve its goals by military means.”

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After sending armed forces into Ukraine from many directions in February, Russia now controls roughly one-fifth of the country.

It claims that a “special military action” was required to prevent Ukraine from being exploited as a springboard for Western aggression and to defend Russian-speaking citizens.

Kiev and its Western allies have dismissed these justifications as flimsy pretexts for an imperial-style acquisition war, and have urged Russia to withdraw completely.

On Thursday, Putin made similar remarks to Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying he understood Beijing’s fears about the crisis.

Russia is attempting to strengthen ties with both China and India as it confronts isolation and onerous sanctions from the West in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Both countries have increased their purchases of Russian energy, which is trading at a discount on global markets as Western countries buy less, and have discussed strengthening economic ties.

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