Speaking at a summit of the regional security bloc in Uzbekistan, he told the Russian president that now was not the time for war, with food, fertilizer and fuel security among the world’s major concerns at the moment. “I know today is not a time of war and I have spoken to you on the phone about that,” Modi told Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization security bloc summit in Uzbekistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted the conflict in Ukraine to end as soon as possible but that Ukraine was determined to achieve its goals on the battlefield, according to an Indian television translation of Putin’s comments at a bilateral meeting. It was the second time Putin was chastised for his invasion of Ukraine at the summit. Twenty-four hours earlier, he hinted at friction in Russia’s relations with China, unexpectedly admitting Beijing has “questions and concerns” about Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. He acknowledged potential disharmony with Xi Jinping in his first face-to-face meeting with the Chinese leader since Russia invaded in February. “We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends regarding the crisis in Ukraine,” the Russian president told Xi in their first meeting since the start of the war. “We understand your questions and concern about this. During today’s meeting, of course we will explain our position.” The public concerns of world leaders add to the terrible losses for Russia in recent days on the battlefield in Ukraine. Moscow’s forces were dramatically pushed back by Ukrainian troops in the northeast of the country. On Friday, Ukrainians claimed to have uncovered mass war graves left after the Russians withdrew from the town of Izyum. Many of these graves contain ordinary civilians, local officials claimed. Russia has always denied accusations of war crimes and targeting civilians.
