Putin squirms when told by Indian prime minister to ‘stop the war’

Vladimir Putin appeared to squirm after being told by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the war in Ukraine must end.

The two leaders met during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, which brings together Russia, China, Iran, India, Pakistan and Belarus.

Celebrating its 25-year anniversary, the summit seeks to be a counterbalance to the West.

However, during the start of the talks, Modi said the Russia-Ukraine conflict was setting humanity back and called for an end to the hostilities.

‘Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step,’ Modi told Putin.

‘Every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace.’

He added: ‘We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities.

‘A peaceful resolution to all issues at the earliest is the call of humanity, and this is India’s message.

‘The land of Gandhi and Buddha shares a single message: the path of peace.’

Modi, who has previously called for a peace settlement in Ukraine, also told Putin that India would continue to support efforts to bring the war to an end.

‘India supports all peace efforts in this regard, and we shall continue to do so in the future,’ he said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

In a clip, a stern-looking Putin can then be seen putting his earpiece, which was used for the translation, down on the table.

He replied, saying: ‘Thank you very much, Prime Minister. We are moving forward along this path.’

Putin has, however, repeatedly insisted that Russia will only end the war on its own terms.

Speaking to United Russia on August 22, Putin dismissed claims that the war was coming to an end as he said: ‘The special military operation continues. We will move only forward.’

Despite Modi’s unusually direct message, he also called Putin ‘my friend’ and praised the growing economic ties between India and Russia.

India, along with China, is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, providing a crucial source of revenue for Moscow since Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022.

This comes after it was revealed yesterday that millions of Ukrainian books were destroyed in ‘deliberate’ Russian targeted attacks.

Several publishers reported attacks in recent days which have hampered their ability to get new Ukrainian literature out to readers.

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