PM Modi calls for ‘dialogue, diplomacy’; Putin says Russia ready to work with ‘whole world’ at BRICS forum - The Indian Express

Less than two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to move from “endless war” to “end of war”, Prime Minister said that “dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward in resolving conflicts” and “India stood ready to assist in peace efforts”.

Modi said at the BRICS business forum, “Global trade can only progress if sea lanes are secure, supply routes remain open, and seafarers are safe. Therefore, India is a staunch supporter of freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers.”

Putin, who spoke at the BRICS business forum, said, “We’re not against anyone. And what we are doing is not against anyone either. We are in favour of our interests, and we stand ready to work together with all of our partners, old ones and new ones, we are open to working with the whole world, and I’m confident that the Business Council has become the mechanism that gives an additional impetus to our trade and economic ties. It’ll help implement numerous projects in infrastructure, logistics, finance, technological cooperation, and elsewhere in order to intensify these activities.” While he spoke at the business forum, his message was political to the western countries.

He said that “Russia has set up a national committee for business cooperation, which counts more than 40 biggest Russian companies. This committee seeks to build a substantive program for cooperation with foreign partners. I would like to reiterate: Russia is open to interesting, promising initiatives in tourism, industry, and trade. Together with our partners, we stand ready to contribute to world energy and food security, to building reliable logistic routes such as the Arctic Transport Corridor and the North-South Transport Corridor, we also intend to reinforce our cooperation in personal training and applied research, and smart technology.”

According to the Indian statement, the two leaders discussed the “conflicts in West Asia” and “the Black Sea region” which have “impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers”.

At least five Indian seafarers were killed in the tit-for-tat attacks between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea since July. The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has been ongoing for more than four-and-half years now.

This is not the first time that PM Modi has flagged the issue of the war in Ukraine, he had told Putin in September 2022 that “this is not the era of war”. In July 2024, Modi had met Putin in Moscow and had told Putin that the death of innocent children causes “pain and the heart simply explodes,” “peace talks do not succeed amid bombs, guns and bullets”, and “solution (to any conflict) cannot be found on the battlefield”.

But, meeting him on Friday, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, he reiterated that plea: “They also shared perspectives on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers. Prime Minister once again reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward in resolving conflicts and India stood ready to assist in peace efforts,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday, after the meeting.

This was their second meeting this year. The two leaders had met earlier in Bishkek on the sidelines of the 26th SCO Summit on August 31.

According to MEA, the two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation in political, economic, defence, energy, space, skill mobility and people-to- people domains.

There were no specific mention of any deals, as Peskov had indicated earlier, “lots of issues cannot be discussed publicly, having some unfriendly countries that are trying to put obstacles in the way of further development of our cooperation. So it is being discussed discreetly, but in a very, very constructive manner.” This was a reference to the threat of sanctions from the Western countries on Indian businesses dealing with Russia.

They welcomed Russia’s International Industrial Exhibition “INNOPROM India”, which was held for the first time in India from 9-11 September 2026 and underscored its importance in further expanding trade and industrial ties. The two leaders also visited the INNOPROM India exhibition and interacted with the participants.

The Indian statement said that the two leaders “agreed to remain engaged in an effort to strengthen further the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which continues to register significant growth and has shown resilience in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties”.

It said that President Putin invited Prime Minister to visit Russia for the 24th India-Russia Annual Summit. “Prime Minister accepted the invitation. The dates of the Summit will be decided as per mutual convenience through diplomatic channels,” it said.

During their meeting, Modi presented Putin with a gift: a Russian translation of Tirukkural, a work written two thousand years ago in India by the poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting and writing explainers and analysis on foreign affairs for about 19 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He won the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award, 2023, for the second time for his reporting of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More