'No solution on battlefield': India on Ukraine war amid Modi-Putin meet

Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Russia for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit, official sources emphasised on Tuesday that India believes dialogue is the best approach to resolve the ongoing Ukraine crisis. 

According to news agency PTI, India maintains the position that there can be no resolution through military means and that dialogue and diplomacy are the preferred paths forward. Sources also noted that India has consistently advocated for upholding the UN Charter, including principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

US flags concern over Ukraine amid Modi’s trip 

The Indian side’s remarks came shortly after the United States expressed concerns about the conflict in Ukraine, as Modi began his trip to Russia on Monday to meet President Vladimir Putin. Modi’s trip to Moscow is his first since the Ukraine crisis began.

The two leaders are set to hold summit talks today over a wide range of issues, including the Ukraine war.

Ahead of the bilateral talks, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller acknowledged India as a strategic partner, with whom the dialogues are “frank”. 

“That includes our concerns about their relationship with Russia,” Miller said when asked about PM Modi's ongoing visit to Moscow.

“We would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN charter, that respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Ukraine’s sovereignty,” he further said.

Miller said that the US has highlighted its concerns about India’s ties with Russia “quite clearly”.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, sparking a global crisis and prompting Western nations to impose a series of economic sanctions aimed at curbing President Vladimir Putin's aggression.

Since the crisis, India has resisted the repeated pressure from the West, defending its ‘special and privileged strategic partnership’ with Russia. It has not yet condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine but has consistently pitched for resolution through dialogue.