Modi called on Putin to end the war in Ukraine
During a meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on August 31, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the Russian dictator to end the war against Ukraine as soon as possible.
The Indian prime minister emphasized that India is the land of Gandhi and Buddha, and therefore advocates for an end to the conflict for the sake of “humanity’s well-being.” Modi called the war in Ukraine an “endless conflict” that must be brought to an end as soon as possible.
Following the Indian prime minister’s remarks, Putin, according to the author of the article, became visibly nervous. Toward the end of the public portion of the meeting, the Russian leader stated that the Kremlin was allegedly already moving toward ending the war.
The author notes that Putin may have been trying to save face in front of the leaders of the Global South.
At the same time, reports from *The Economist* about Putin’s fears regarding the possible consequences of ending the war carry particular weight in this context. According to the publication, he allegedly responded to calls for compromise regarding Ukraine by saying, “They’ll hang me.”
Narendra Modi is not the first leader of a country close to Russia to publicly call on Putin to end the war against Ukraine.
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed a similar position. In July, he not only called for an end to hostilities but also proposed freezing them along the current line of contact, after which other issues could be resolved.
Another significant development was the visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow on August 25. During the trip, the U.S. official met with the heads of Russian intelligence agencies and, according to sources, urged Moscow to negotiate an end to the war before its economic and political situation deteriorated even further.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also spoke to the Russian side about the need to end the war during meetings with representatives of the G20 countries.
According to the author of the article, Bessent warned his Russian counterpart that Moscow cannot expect sanctions to be lifted until hostilities end.
The U.S. official also promoted the Trump administration’s approach to ending the war and emphasized the need to intensify negotiations and shift from general international issues to concrete steps toward ending the war in Ukraine.
Thus, India and Kazakhstan, which maintain close ties with Russia, are speaking increasingly openly to Putin about the need to end the war.
In the author’s view, this is significant given Russia’s considerable dependence on China and India. Public criticism from its closest partners could place additional political and psychological pressure on the Kremlin.
At the same time, this does not mean that Putin will definitely end the war in the near future. However, the shift in rhetoric among Russia’s allies indicates that the public taboo against direct calls on the Kremlin to end the war is gradually disappearing.
Now, Russia and Putin personally are being openly reminded with increasing frequency that to preserve international ties, trade, and cooperation, it is necessary to end the war and move toward negotiations.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin canceled a planned face-to-face meeting with CIA Director John Ratcliffe during the latter’s visit to Moscow on August 25. According to media reports, the reason was the American official’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin likely decided to further escalate the war after several weeks of deliberation over the summer. As The Economist reports, the Russian dictator may be seeking to use escalation to preserve his power and his life.
As a reminder, on the afternoon of August 30, Russian troops attacked Kyiv with strike drones. Explosions were heard in the capital, and air defense forces engaged enemy targets.
In Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, a fire broke out in a non-residential building as a result of the Russian drone attack. Emergency services are on the scene, dealing with the aftermath of the strike.
In Kyiv, rescue workers extinguished a large-scale fire that broke out in the Holosiivskyi district following a Russian attack on the morning of August 30. The fire engulfed a non-residential building covering an area of about 3,000 square meters; there were no casualties or injuries.
