Russian President Vladimir Putin has always shared a friendly relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders have come closer over the last few years. Now, the Russian President has spoken out about the neutral stance of India on various sensitive global issues and showered praises on Modi.

India has consistently maintained a neutral stance as far as the Russia-Ukraine War is concerned. Despite growing closeness with the Kremlin, New Delhi has never sided with either party on this particular issue. Putin has made it clear that Russia respects this stance of India, stressing that Prime Minister Modi’s efforts and ideas aimed at finding a mutually acceptable peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine are quite valuable.

The Russian President referred to Modi while addressing an event at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on October 1, 2026, stating that the Indian Prime Minister consistently brings up the Russia-Ukraine conflict and offers “very good ideas” for peace. He said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of those world leaders who, despite our very good and even friendly relations, personal good relations, constantly raises the question and asks the question about putting an end to the conflict in Ukraine… He has an avid interest and very good ideas aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions. In that sense, naturally, the Prime Minister takes a neutral position but with an interest in the end of the conflict. I think it’s my duty to say that directly. And we are thankful to the Prime Minister for his ideas… We are thankful for his desire to put an end to this conflict through peaceful means and as soon as possible…“

It may be noted that Western nations and their allies imposed sweeping international sanctions following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, targeting Russia’s financial, energy and military-industrial sectors. Interestingly, India increased its oil purchases from Russia at that time. The US has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with India’s move, arguing that revenue from energy exports aids Moscow in financing its military operations in Ukraine. US President Donald John Trump initially raised tariffs on India to 50% in August 2025 before lowering them to 18% under an interim trade agreement in February 2026.

However, the Modi Administration has repeatedly clarified its position on Russian oil purchase. Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar claimed that stopping oil purchases from Russia would not end the war in Ukraine. He stated that the conflict should be resolved through peaceful negotiation and diplomacy, rather than taking actions against individual nations that import Russian commodities.

The Indian Minister of External Affairs also defended India’s trade policy by highlighting the absolute necessity of maintaining stable energy supplies and affordable pricing for its population of 1.4 billion. According to Dr Jaishankar, the economic and energy policies of the South Asian nation are guided by national interests, rather than unilateral external demands.

President Putin has met Prime Minister Modi several times since the Ukraine War began. The Indian Prime Minister has also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy. Each time, he requested both the Presidents to resolve all outstanding bilateral issues through diplomatic dialogue. During his recent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit (held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026), Prime Minister Modi advocated for an end to the Russia-Ukraine War.

In fact, Ukraine has described India’s proposal for a possible ceasefire with Russia as the “broadest” among four offers received by Kiev. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that Kiev is ready to consider a truce covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea, adding: “We have four proposals. The broadest one is India’s proposal. We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in this combination.” According to the Ukrainian minister, Kiev has received the proposals for a possible ceasefire from India, Turkey, Egypt and the US. “Kiev is ready to consider different formats for a truce, but any agreement should cover not only combat operations, but also attacks on energy and port infrastructure and the situation in the Black Sea,” stressed Sybiha.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das