Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around Ukraine and how Moscow had resolved an armed mercenary mutiny in a telephone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, the Kremlin and New Delhi said.
Moscow said that Modi had
expressed support for what the Kremlin called the Russian leadership's decisive
actions in handling the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last Saturday.
The Indian government
said Putin, who will also join Modi on Tuesday for a virtual summit of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, informed the prime minister about the recent
developments in Russia during their conversation.
The call comes after the
United States and India declared themselves "among the closest partners in
the world" last week during a state visit to Washington by Modi.
India has not condemned its old ally Russia over the invasion of Ukraine and have urged both sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy. Modi told Putin last year that "today's era is not an era of war".
"While discussing
the situation in Ukraine, PM (Modi) reiterated his call for dialogue and
diplomacy," New Delhi said in a statement.
The boss of Russia's
Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, shocked the world by leading
Saturday's armed revolt, only to abruptly call it off as his fighters
approached Moscow.
India's national security
adviser, Ajit Doval, also spoke to his counterpart Nikolai Patrushev on
Wednesday on the failed mutiny, an Indian security establishment source said.
India remains dependent on Moscow for its defense needs and has sharply increased its imports of cheap Russian oil, frustrating the West.