(CNN) — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have directly rejected Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, telling the president of RussiaVladimir Putin, that this is not the time for war.
In what was the latest in a series of setbacks for the Russian leader, Modi told him of the need to “walk a path of peace” and reminded him of the importance of “democracy, diplomacy and dialogue.”
Modi’s comments came during a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of a regional summit on Friday, and highlighted Russia’s growing isolation on the diplomatic stage. They came just a day after Putin admitted that China also had “questions and concerns” about the invasion.
“I know that the current era is not one of war and we have talked to him many times on the phone on the subject that democracy and diplomacy and dialogue are all these things that touch the world,” Modi told Putin during the summit. Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
“We will definitely have a chance to discuss how we can move forward on the path of peace in the coming days, I will also have a chance to understand your point of view,” he added, according to a readout of the meeting by the Indian Foreign Ministry.
Putin responded by telling India’s leader that he was aware of his concerns.
“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine and I know your concerns. We want all this to end as soon as possible,” he said.
Modi’s apparent criticism of the Russian invasion is just the latest setback for Putin, whose forces have suffered a series of major battlefield defeats in recent weeks. Ukraine claims to have recovered some 8,000 square kilometers of territory.
Diplomatically, Moscow also appears to be on a losing streak and this has been highlighted by exchanges at the Samarkand summit, which brings together leaders from Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran and four Central Asian countries.
It seemed that Moscow and Beijing would be ready to present a united front at the summit to counter the United States and its allies.
However, signs of division over Russia’s invasion have emerged, unnerving leaders in former Soviet territories in Central Asia, who are concerned that Russia may invade their homeland as well.
India and China are Russia’s biggest oil customers and suggestions in recent days that they both have reservations about the war give Moscow plenty to think about.
Earlier at the summit, after acknowledging China’s concerns, Putin had said: “We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends regarding the Ukraine crisis.”
New Delhi, like Beijing, has strong ties with Moscow dating back to the Cold War and has so far largely refrained from openly condemning the invasion by Russia, which remains India’s largest arms supplier.
In a statement issued after Friday’s meeting, India’s foreign ministry said discussions between the two leaders “also concerned global food security, energy security and fertilizer availability in the context of challenges emanating from the current geopolitical situation”.
“They agreed to stay in contact,” the ministry added.
The meeting comes as heavy shelling continues in areas of southern and eastern Ukraine that have been recovered of the Russian forces. Ukrainian officials reported that they had discovered the least 440 graves in a mass grave in the city of Izium in the recently liberated Kharkiv region.