MOSCOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the war in Ukraine needed to end for humanity's sake and that New Delhi would support every peace effort to stop the fighting.
Modi, who made his comments at the start of talks with Putin in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, called Putin "my friend" and hailed growing economic ties between the two countries which he said were guided by the need to put the interests of both nations above all else.
India, along with China, is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, which has helped Moscow replenish its budget since it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022 and was hit with sweeping Western sanctions.
"As you are aware, India supports all peace efforts in this regard, and we shall continue to do so in the future," Modi told Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, according to a Kremlin transcript of their exchange.
"Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace. We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities. And we will need to move precisely in this direction," said Modi who has said before that he wants a peace settlement for Ukraine.
The Kremlin - which has repeatedly said that Russia is only ready to end the war on its own terms, which Ukraine has dismissed as an unacceptable demand to capitulate - said after the talks that Putin had briefed Modi on how the special military operation, Russia's preferred description for its action in Ukraine, was progressing, the state TASS news agency reported.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
