Russian President Vladimir Putin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on Monday, with PM Modi reiterating New Delhi's support for all peaceful efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict. PM Modi said every day of the war sets humanity back and stressed the need to work towards ending hostilities.
Putin said Russia-India relations were strengthening, aided by PM Modi's personal attention. Tourist exchanges between the two countries grew 16% in 2025.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India would continue to support peace, stressing the need to move from "endless wars to the end of war." He said both countries could move forward by keeping their respective national interests in mind and added that he was carrying a message of peace from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautam Buddha.
The bilateral meeting, which lasted for nearly 30 minutes, began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, exchanging a handshake and a hug before the talks. After the meeting, PM Modi shared a video of their interaction on X, writing, “Always a delight to meet President Putin. Sharing my remarks during our meeting in Bishkek.”
"Every day of war sets the humanity back, whereas every step taken towards peace fills the humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We must move away from endless war towards an end to the war," PM Modi said.
"This is crucial for the well-being of humanity. A peaceful resolution to all issues at the earliest is the call of humanity, and this is India's message. The land of Gandhi and Buddha shares a single message: the path of peace," he added.
At the start of the bilateral meeting, PM Modi said, “Excellency, my friend, I am delighted to meet you.” He said Putin’s last visit to India had been highly successful and memorable, helping take the two countries’ economic ties to a new level. Modi added that the outcome of the Delhi meeting had kept officials in both countries busy implementing the decisions taken.
The bilateral talks focused on key aspects of India-Russia ties, including trade and investment, energy and defence.
The meeting came a week ahead of Putin’s visit to India for the annual BRICS summit. Referring to the upcoming visit, PM Modi said Indians were eagerly awaiting Putin’s arrival and that his presence would further strengthen ties between Moscow and New Delhi. Ahead of the talks, officials told PTI that traditional areas of cooperation, including defence, energy, trade and investment, were expected to be discussed.
Once again, the car diplomacy first witnessed between PM Modi and Putin at the SCO Summit in China’s Tianjin last year was on display when Putin travelled to India a few months later in 2025. The tradition has now continued in Bishkek, where both leaders travelled together by car to watch the World Nomad Games.