Why did Modi urge Putin to end Ukraine war – and will he listen?BBC correspondents in Delhi and Moscow look at why the Indian PM made a very public peace plea to his Russian ally.54 mins agoWorld

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been urged by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a close ally, to end Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

“Every day spent in war pushes humanity back, and every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm,” Modi said on Monday.

Modi, whose country’s economy depends heavily on discounted oil from Moscow, has made several similar pleas to Putin since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

BBC correspondents in Delhi and Moscow look at what lies behind Modi’s renewed appeal for peace, and Putin’s response.

Modi’s comments on ending the war in Ukraine are not surprising and don’t suggest any tactical change in India’s foreign policy.

In fact, speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in 2022 – less than a year into the conflict – Modi told Putin publicly that “now is not the time for war”.

But it would be an oversimplification to suggest that Modi’s current or past statements on the war can be seen as a rebuff to Putin or Russia’s strategy.

Western countries have pushed Modi hard to take a clear stand on the war – but Delhi has largely stayed neutral, urging dialogue to end the war instead.

The stand hasn’t made many Western capitals happy but they have continued to court Modi and India – it’s just too big and too fast-growing an economy to be ignored.

In this context, Modi’s current statement cannot be seen as an attempt to please a third country.

If anything, it is very much in line with India’s policy of strategic autonomy. Which then begs the question: why would Modi say something on the war so publicly?

The answer lies in the long-standing Russia-India ties – the two countries have generally found a way to work together, even when they see geopolitics through different lenses.

Moscow has continued to be one of India’s strongest allies despite Delhi forging closer relationships with Europe and the US in the past three decades.

Delhi is one of the founding members of the Brics grouping of nations along with Russia and China, and it is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with the two countries.

But at the same time, Delhi is also a member of the Quad group with Australia, Japan and the US – Moscow has not been happy about this association.

Still, Moscow and Delhi tend to work through these differences. Moreover, Russia still supplies around 40% of India’s defence imports and it has also been a steady supplier of Delhi’s energy needs.

So, Modi’s latest statement is not expected to cause any rift in Moscow-Delhi relations and analysts say it’s unlikely that it would have come as a surprise to Putin or his diplomats.

As for the West and Modi’s critics in India, they will feel that the prime minister should have been even more direct in his criticism of the war.

This isn’t the first time a foreign leader has publicly urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Just five weeks ago the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested Putin freeze the conflict and return to the negotiating table.

He didn’t. And he hasn’t.

There’s no sign of these public calls for peace changing Putin’s calculations.

To Modi’s call for a cessation of hostilities, the Kremlin leader replied:

“Thank you very much, prime minister. We are moving forward along this path.”

Polite, but vague. And non-committal.

After all, a path can be short. But it can also be long. Very long.

And “moving forward” at what pace?

And, crucially, on which path?

All the evidence suggests that Russia’s leadership remains convinced it is on a path to military victory in Ukraine. To frame that in terms of peace, “moving forward” to peace on Russia’s terms dictated by military success.

Therefore, for now, the fighting goes on.

Despite the fact that, after more than four-and-a-half years of war and huge military losses, the Kremlin has yet to secure victory.

And despite Ukraine’s success in bringing the war back home to Russians: for example, through long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries that have sparked fuel shortages and petrol queues across the country.

In recent days Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine.

“After [Russia] intensified its strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities and critical infrastructure,” wrote the Kommersant newspaper this morning, “the Russian side is convinced that in the military confrontation time is working against Kyiv.”

While Putin believes that, he’ll be reluctant to pause his so-called “special military operation”.