At a meeting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan he explicitly criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Modi chided Putin with, “I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this.”
Putin told the Indian leader, “I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible.”
The day before, Putin had made similar remarks to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis,” Putin said to Xi at the summit in Uzbekistan.
“We understand your questions and concerns in this regard,” Putin added. “During today’s meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position on this issue, although we have spoken about this before.”
China and India have close ties with Moscow — and have continued to buy its oil, gas and coal as Western nations moved to cut their purchases — but foreign policy experts and Russia watchers say that the war in Ukraine appears to be driving a major wedge in relations.
Hal Brands, a professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, said in a tweet:
“Having been thrashed on battlefield, Putin is getting thrashed at conference table, too. Doesn’t take much clairvoyance to see that Xi, Modi, and others are deeply annoyed by fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Stunning erosion of Russia’s — and Putin’s — diplomatic position,”
“Nobody likes losers, and he’s losing now in Ukraine,” Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, said in an appearance on MSNBC on Thursday.
Putin’s phrase, “as soon as possible,” does not necessarily mean that he would stop the war to appease his allies; it may be merely a way to deflect Modi’s criticism.
“I think what you’re hearing from China, from India, is reflective of concerns around the world about the effects of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, not just on the people of Ukraine,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Friday, per Al Jazeera, adding, “I think it increases the pressure on Russia to end the aggression.”
