Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine while meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face while both were in Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. “I know today is not a time of war and I spoke to you on the phone about that,” Modi told Putin, according to Reuters. Putin told the Indian leader: “I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine and I know your concerns. We want this all to end as soon as possible.” The Russian president’s remarks to his Indian counterpart echoed comments about Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine that he made to Chinese leader Xi Jinping the day before. “We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends regarding the crisis in Ukraine,” Putin told Xi at the summit in Uzbekistan. “We understand your questions and concerns in this regard,” Putin added. “During today’s meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position on this matter, although we have talked about it in the past.” China and India have close ties to Moscow — and have continued to buy oil, gas and coal as Western countries have moved to reduce their purchases — but foreign policy experts and Russia watchers say the war in Ukraine appears to leads to a large wedge in affinities.
“Having been beaten on the battlefield, Putin is also being beaten at the conference table. It doesn’t take much insight to see that Xi, Modi and others are deeply disturbed by the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Stunning erosion of war of Russia and Putin — diplomatic position,” tweeted Hal Branch, a professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. “No one likes losers, and they’re losing now in Ukraine,” Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, said in an appearance on MSNBC on Thursday. — Katy Tur Reports (@KatyOnMSNBC) September 15, 2022 Putin’s phrase, “as soon as possible,” could just be rhetoric to reassure a trading partner. Putin has tried to justify the invasion as a war of necessity and hinted at it as a seizure of territory that is rightfully Russian amid awkward attempts at a diplomatic solution that Western diplomats see as a loophole. Inside Russia, authorities condemn those who protest or even describe the effort as a war — Putin has made it illegal to spread “fake news” about the military — despite the death toll, which the U.S. estimates is as high as 80,000 soldiers. Russia has suffered devastating troop losses in Ukraine, and its forces have recently been pushed into retreat as a result of a blistering Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east of the country and as a broader push to retake territory in the south gains momentum. Meanwhile, Russia has been widely accused of war crimes as it faces devastating economic sanctions over the war. The war led to an energy crisis and contributed to rising inflation worldwide. “I think what you’re hearing from China, from India, reflects concerns around the world about the effects of Russian aggression in Ukraine, not just the people of Ukraine,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters on Friday. according to Al Jazeera, adding, “I think it increases the pressure on Russia to end the aggression.”