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India is not neutral and it is on the side of peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed this to Russian President Vladimir Putin at their annual summit talks in New Delhi .
In his televised opening remarks at the summit, Modi said the conflict should come to an end through dialogue and diplomacy.
Significantly widening the economic partnership, in a shift from cooperation in traditional domains of oil and defence, notwithstanding mounting Western pressure on New Delhi to scale down its engagement with Moscow was the centrepiece of summit talks between Modi and Putin.
According to several media reports, Following the summit, the two leaders demonstrated their strong resolve to give a new momentum to the over eight-decades-old India-Russia friendship with the prime minister saying that it remained steadfast like a ‘guiding star’.
Putin said Russia stands ready to provide ‘uninterrupted shipments’ of fuel to India, in remarks that came against the backdrop of mounting American pressure on New Delhi to stop crude oil from Moscow.
The two sides signed a total of 11 agreements including one on movement of skilled workers from India to Russia.
The pacts will provide for cooperation in areas of shipping, fertilisers, healthcare, scientific research, education and people-to-people exchanges.
“Over the past eight decades, the world has witnessed many ups and downs. Humanity has faced numerous challenges and crises. Yet, through all of this, the India-Russia friendship has remained steady like a guiding star,” Modi said in his media statement in presence of Putin.
