Modi urges Putin to end the war

What's happened

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities during talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on Monday. Putin has responded that talks are "moving forward" while officials highlighted growing Russia–India trade and energy ties.

What's behind the headline?

What this meeting means

• Modi has framed a direct appeal for peace while preserving India’s strategic relationship with Russia. That keeps New Delhi’s diplomatic space open with both Moscow and Western capitals.

Who gains

• Russia keeps a major buyer for its oil and a steady defence customer. India keeps discounted energy supplies and defence hardware while signalling support for diplomacy rather than confrontation.

Why now

• The summit is gathering China, Russia, Iran and regional leaders. Modi is using the platform to press for negotiations while the Kremlin is using bilateral meetings to shore up partners as sanctions bite.

Likely next steps

• India will continue to increase trade with Russia while urging negotiation. Moscow will continue to present any settlement as conditional on its terms. This will keep Kyiv and Western capitals frustrated and raise pressure for parallel diplomatic and economic efforts to reduce Russian revenues.

Bottom line

• The exchange will not alter the battlefield. It will, however, sustain a pragmatic India–Russia relationship that keeps energy and defence ties intact while publicly endorsing a diplomatic end to the conflict.

How we got here

India has preserved close ties with Russia while deepening relations with the US and Europe. Moscow supplies a large share of India’s oil and defence equipment; both governments have used bilateral meetings to expand trade, energy and security cooperation even after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Our analysis

BBC Business framed Modi’s remarks as consistent with India’s long-standing policy of strategic autonomy and noted that Delhi has repeatedly urged dialogue without directly rebuking Moscow (Vikas Pandey, BBC Business). The New York Post and Independent quoted Modi calling Putin “my friend” and reported the Kremlin transcript and TASS account of Putin saying talks were progressing. CNBC emphasised the economic context, reporting Russia’s recent plans for strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and noting that Russia has become India’s largest crude supplier in mid-2026. Bloomberg and the Indian foreign ministry quoted Randhir Jaiswal saying Modi reiterated that issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Together the pieces show a consistent on-record exchange: Modi urging cessation of hostilities and Putin saying they are "moving forward", while separate coverage highlights the commercial and strategic incentives—energy and defence—behind continued Russia–India engagement.

Go deeper

• Will India press for a specific peace plan at the upcoming BRICS summit in Delhi?
• How will Western governments react to Modi's public call for a cessation of hostilities?
• Will India’s purchases of Russian oil change after these talks?

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