On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Russia announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to help facilitate peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin “welcomed their readiness”. This development highlights the camaraderie among the “power trio” of Modi, Xi, and Putin, whose striking image smiling and holding hands on Day 1 of the summit sent a message of unity amid a fractured global order.
This announcement coincides with the struggles faced by US President Donald Trump to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Just days prior, Trump spoke with Putin via phone to call for a swift end to the conflict and to restore full US-Russia ties, following weekend visits to Moscow and Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that ultimately yielded no tangible breakthroughs.
India’s Diplomatic Role and Strategic Importance:
India has emerged as a major potential bridge-builder due to its rare ability to maintain working relationships with Moscow, Tehran, and the West simultaneously. Over recent years, India which relies heavily on discounted Russian oil has repeatedly urged Moscow to move toward peace. During a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek last month, Prime Minister Modi urged Putin to transition from an “endless war” to an “end of war,” noting that “every day spent in war pushes humanity back”.
This built upon his prior assertion that “today’s era is not an era of war”. Furthermore, during bilateral talks, Modi reiterated that “dialogue and diplomacy” remain “the way forward in resolving conflicts” and confirmed that India stands “ready to assist in peace efforts”. The Kremlin has previously acknowledged that India’s position on resolving the conflict through peaceful means broadly corresponds with Russia’s stance.
Potential High-Level Summits and Regional Context:
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated readiness to travel to Miami for the G20 Summit scheduled for December if Putin attends, stating that he must meet, talk, and focus on concrete results. However, the Kremlin responded that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy at the G20 summit in Miami is not possible, maintaining that if Zelenskyy genuinely wants to meet, he can travel to Moscow.
The timing of these geopolitical developments is also crucial as Russia prepares for its first parliamentary elections (September 18–20) since the launch of the conflict, where the Putin-backed United Russia party is widely expected to retain its parliamentary dominance.
