Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine conflict at the earliest, saying it is “humanity's call” to bring lasting peace to the region.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where they discussed bilateral ties, global developments and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “The prime minister reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasised the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement.”

In his televised opening remarks, Modi said, “We welcome all recent efforts to bring peace to Ukraine and hope that all the relevant sides will move forward constructively. The call of humanity is to end the conflict as soon as possible and find ways to bring permanent peace to the region.”

Modi also underlined the enduring strength of India-Russia ties. “India and Russia always moved forward shoulder-to-shoulder even in difficult times,” he said, adding that close relations between the two nations are significant for “global peace, stability and prosperity.”

He further said that India is waiting to receive Putin, who is expected to visit New Delhi in December for summit talks.

In a rare gesture of camaraderie, Putin invited Modi to ride with him in his AURUS limousine to the venue of their bilateral meeting.

“The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel they did not deboard the Russian president’s limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes,” Russian radio station VestiFM reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later confirmed that the leaders had a tete-a-tete in the car for about an hour.

Sharing a photo from inside the limousine, Modi posted on social media: “After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful.”

The MEA said the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between India and Russia, covering cooperation in economic, financial and energy sectors.