Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj directs sharp criticism towards India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visit to Moscow.
Modi landed in Moscow on Monday, the same day as Russia directed extensive air attacks against Ukraine, where around 40 people died, including several children.
On X, Zelenskyj writes that "it is a great disappointment and a devastating blow to the attempts to achieve peace to see the leader of the world's largest democracy embracing the world's bloodthirstiest criminal in Moscow on such a day".
Modi's two-day visit to Russia is his first since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. In pictures from Monday, Putin is seen welcoming Modi with a warm hug. They also drank tea together and visited a horse show.
During official talks between Modi and Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday, the Indian Prime Minister said that "peace is of utmost importance" and "war cannot solve any problems".
Modi said that he and Putin discussed the war in Ukraine during the meeting in Moscow.
"As true friends, we could discuss a range of issues", said Modi, and continued: "And when it comes to Ukraine, I was pleased that we could both express our opinions openly and in detail".
India has long-standing ties to Russia and is heavily dependent on the Kremlin for military equipment. The country has also bought increasing amounts of Russian crude oil, which means significant revenue for Russia, which has become increasingly isolated from the Western world due to the invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, Western powers have in recent years tried to strengthen relations with India to counterbalance China's growing influence in Asia, and are pressuring New Delhi to distance itself from Russia.
