Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, a day after the Indian leader landed in Moscow amid worldwide outrage over Russian operations in Ukraine.
During his first visit to Moscow since Russia began its war in Ukraine in February 2022, Modi will try to strengthen New Delhi’s long-standing ties with Moscow.
Simultaneously, he is pursuing stronger security ties with the West after regaining control of the most populous nation on Earth last month.
Modi arrived in Moscow hours after Russia unleashed a major assault on towns throughout Ukraine on Monday, killing over three dozen people and severely damaging a children’s hospital in Kyiv, prompting outrage from governments across Europe and North America.
Although Moscow is a critical source of inexpensive oil and weaponry for India, its relationship with New Delhi has been hampered by its growing isolation from the West and links to Beijing.
In addition, as pressure mounted on New Delhi to break its ties with Russia, Western nations have been cultivating closer ties with India in recent years as a buffer against China and its expanding influence throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
“Any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine must… be one that respects the UN Charter with respect to Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” the US encouraged Modi to make clear in his meeting with Putin on Monday.
Modi last visited Russia in 2019 and welcomed Putin in India’s capital two years later, just before Russia launched its war on Ukraine.
