'India not neutral, on the side of peace': PM Modi on Russia-Ukraine war amid meeting with Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday personally received Russian President Vladimir Putin at Delhi’s Palam Airport

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Hyderabad House on Friday,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "India believes in peace".

"It’s been 25 years since our first meeting. The trust between India and Russia has grown steadily and remains a vital pillar for this partnership to thrive. India is not neutral, we are on the side of peace," said PM Modi while speaking about the Russia-Ukraine war.

PM Modi said that since the Ukraine crisis began, India and Russia have remained in regular contact, with Moscow keeping New Delhi fully briefed on the developments.

Putin also said Russia is moving towards a peaceful solution with Ukriane.  “I am thankful to PM Modi for inviting me. Russia is working on a peacefull settlement with Ukraine. Relationship between Russia and India is based on trust. The world will only benefit if we travel on the path of peace," he said.

Calling PM Modi a "true friend", Putin said  "you made us aware of everything from time to time".

PM Modi said he hoped the world will be free from these challenges, and that the global community will move forward on a path of progress in the right direction, fostering a new language of cooperation. " I am confident that today, we will discuss many important global issues. The economic ties between India and Russia should be further strengthened, and together, we should aim for new heights. With such a highly optimistic approach, we will advance our meeting. This is a strong conviction," said PM Modi.

Earlier on Friday, Putin arrived in India for a two-day state visit, where he was greeted with a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu.

Earlier, the Kremlin said in a statement that Putin’s visit to India was “of great importance, providing an opportunity to comprehensively discuss the extensive agenda of Russian-Indian relations as a particularly privileged strategic partnership”.