India's Modi urges early resolution of Ukraine conflict in call with Russia's Putin

MOSCOW/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he backed an early, peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict, days after he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

Modi's visit last week, the first by an Indian prime minister in Ukraine's modern history, came at a volatile point in the war that started when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022.

Despite Western pressure to distance itself from Russia, India has maintained its ties with Moscow, which has been an important supplier of weapons to India since the days of the Soviet Union.

Modi said he spoke to Putin by phone and discussed ways to strengthen the partnership between their two countries. The Kremlin gave no details except for saying they spoke by phone.

"Reiterated India’s firm commitment to support an early, abiding and peaceful resolution of the conflict," Modi said in a post on X, describing the conversation.

Modi shared "insights" from his visit to Ukraine with Putin and "underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy as well as sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders" to find peace, the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Modi's Ukraine visit followed his trip to Russia in July, during which he embraced Putin on the same day that a deadly Russian missile strike hit a children's hospital.

That visit angered Ukraine and the U.S. State Department said it had raised concerns with India about ties with Russia.

In recent years, Washington has looked to woo New Delhi as a way to counter China's growing regional influence.

Zelenskiy has said he told Modi he would support India hosting a second peace summit after one held in Switzerland as Kyiv hopes to find a host among countries in the global south.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has ruled out talks after Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6.

With its traditionally close economic and defence ties to Moscow, India has refrained from criticising Russia over the invasion, while buying record volumes of Russian oil, saying it served national interest.

Ukraine has pitched for New Delhi to help rebuild its economy, inviting investment from Indian companies at a January business summit in India.

On Monday, Modi also spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden about his Ukraine visit.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, YP Rajesh and Tomasz Janowski)