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Modi congratulates Putin on re-election, reiterates dialogue on war with Ukraine
Putin won the election by an overwhelming majority, though the result was a foregone conclusion. He garnered 87.3% of the vote following a record turnout of 77.5%
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election and reiterated India’s position on dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
During a telephone conversation with Putin, Modi conveyed his best wishes for the “peace, progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Russia”, according to a readout from the external affairs ministry.
“While discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, PM reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward,” the readout said.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, India has consistently refrained from publicly criticising Moscow’s actions. However, during a meeting with Putin in September 2022, Modi had said “today’s era is not an era of war”. Modi’s message was subsequently reflected in the leaders’ declarations at the G20 Summits in 2022 and 2023.
The remarks also assume significance as Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba is expected to make his first visit to India since the start of the Russian invasion at the end of this month to lobby for support for a peace summit.
During their conversation, Modi and Putin “agreed to make concerted efforts towards further strengthening the Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries in the years to come”.
The two leaders reviewed progress in various issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues, the readout said. They also agreed to remain in touch.
Modi had earlier congratulated Putin on his electoral victory in a post on X on Monday.
Putin won the election by an overwhelming majority, though the result was a foregone conclusion. He garnered 87.3% of the vote following a record turnout of 77.5%. Putin’s nearest rival, Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party, won only 4.3% of the votes counted.
“Warm congratulations to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation,” Modi had said in his post.
The electoral victory will tighten Putin’s grip on power in Russia, which he has ruled since the turn of the century. He is now expected to remain in office until at least 2030, making him Russia’s longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Russia continues to be one of the main suppliers of defence hardware to India, which has moved to diversify the sources of such equipment by concluding big ticket deals with the US, France and Israel in recent years. Russia also emerged as one of the leading suppliers of energy after India snapped up discounted Russian crude when Western states slapped sanctions on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
