Sharing thoughts: Modi and Putin taking a walk during an informal meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow. — AFP
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, a day after the Indian leader arrived in Moscow amid a global outcry over Russian strikes in Ukraine.
Modi, visiting Moscow for the first time since Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, will seek to nurture New Delhi’s long-standing relationship with Moscow.
At the same time, he is courting closer Western security ties after being returned to power last month as the leader of the world’s most populous country.
“There are no surprises in preparation. The main thing is to create an atmosphere for meaningful interaction,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV when asked about the talks.
Modi landed in Moscow hours after Russia launched a massive barrage targeting cities across Ukraine on Monday that killed more than three dozen people and heavily damaged a children’s hospital in Kyiv, sparking condemnation from governments in Europe and North America.
Russia is a vital supplier of cut-priced oil and weapons to India, but Moscow’s isolation from the West and growing ties with Beijing have impacted its partnership with New Delhi.
Western powers have in recent years also cultivated stronger relations with India as a hedge against China and its growing influence across the Asia-Pacific, while pressuring New Delhi to distance itself from Russia.
The United States on Monday urged Modi to make clear in his talks with Putin that “any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine must... be one that respects the UN Charter with respect to Ukraine’s territorial integrity”.
Modi last visited Russia in 2019 and hosted Putin in the Indian capital two years later, weeks before Russia began its offensive against Ukraine. — AFP
