Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin met Monday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
The meeting serves as a critical touchpoint for India to maintain its strategic autonomy while urging a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine. As a key member of the SCO, India seeks to balance its longstanding defense ties with Russia against its growing partnerships in the West.
This encounter marks the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since December 2025 [4]. The talks took place on the first day of the two-day summit, which runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 [2].
During the bilateral session, Modi reiterated India's support for all peaceful efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. The discussions occurred within the framework of the 26th SCO summit [1], an event that also marks 25 years of the grouping's existence [3].
Officials said the leaders discussed global challenges and the strengthening of India-Russia ties. The meeting took place in the Kyrgyz capital, where leaders from across the organization gathered to coordinate on regional security, and economic cooperation.
While the meeting focused on diplomacy, the broader SCO agenda includes regional stability and trade. The interaction between Modi and Putin highlights India's continued role as a mediator and a neutral voice in global conflicts, a position New Delhi has maintained since the onset of the Ukraine war.
“Modi reiterated India’s support for all peaceful efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.”
The meeting underscores India's 'multi-aligned' foreign policy, where it maintains a functional relationship with Russia for energy and defense needs while simultaneously calling for peace in Ukraine to satisfy international norms and Western allies. By utilizing the SCO summit—a bloc often seen as a counterweight to Western influence—Modi signals that India will not be pressured into total isolation of Moscow, even as it pushes for a ceasefire.
