Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts in resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, stating that he has had "very informative and useful conversation" with the Indian leader since arriving in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
"Thank you very much for the invitation and for yesterday's very good evening, with our friendly yet at the same time informative and very useful conversation. We had the opportunity, and I was given the opportunity, to talk in detail about what is happening specifically in the Ukrainian sphere and what we are doing together with several other partners, including the United States, to address the issue of a possible peaceful resolution to this crisis," said Putin in his opening remarks ahead of the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit at the Hyderabad House.
"Thank you for your attention. And, thank you for your efforts to resolve this situation," he added with PM Modi sitting next to him. The Russian President highlighted that India-Russia relations truly have a very deep historical character. "No matter how we characterize them, no matter what epithets we adorn them with, what matters is the content.
And the content is very profound. We value this very much. And we see that you, esteemed Mr. Prime Minister, are also devoting a great deal of personal attention to this," he said. He highlighted that, over the past years, both sides have accomplished a great deal of work in developing relations and as both economies develop, the opportunities for cooperation are also expanding.
"We are developing new areas related to high technology, related to the development and joint work in aviation, space, high technology in the broad sense of the word, and artificial intelligence. We have very trusting relations in the area of military-technical cooperation.
We intend to move forward in all these areas. This only further underscores the level, nature, and trust of our ties," commented President Putin. As they sat down for the meeting, the Russian President stated that teams from Moscow and New Delhi have "worked very well" in the lead-up to his visit.
"A number of significant documents have been prepared. We have the opportunity to discuss some of them further and discuss other things further. And I am confident that we will conclude today's work with a positive result," he concluded. Earlier, taking the India-Russia Special and Privileged Partnership ahead, PM Modi warmly welcomed President Putin at the Hyderabad House to participate in the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.
With both countries sharing a longstanding and time-tested bond, the two leaders are holding comprehensive and detailed discussions aimed at further strengthening the bilateral relations. The Russian President's itinerary on the second and final day of this State Visit remains packed as he is scheduled to attend a business event and will be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for a banquet in the evening. Putin will also participate in a business event at Bharat Mandapam, aimed at strengthening commercial and investment engagement.