Modi calls for end to phone clashes with Putin

File: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India. 5 October 2018.

The Indian government has called on Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The two leaders had a phone conversation after Russian forces launched an offensive in Ukraine.

The Indian government said in a statement on Thursday that the prime minister had called for an immediate end to the conflict and called on all parties concerned to work together for a return to diplomatic dialogue and dialogue.

The statement said Modi reiterated to the Russian leader his "long-held belief that the differences between Russia and NATO can only be resolved through honest and sincere talks".

Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine's ambassador to India, Igor Polikha, called on New Delhi to intervene, saying he was "pleading and pleading for India's support".

"Whenever an authoritarian regime invades a democratic country, India should take full responsibility for its global role," he told reporters.

So far, India has not condemned Russia's military operation in Ukraine. India is acting very cautiously in the ongoing crisis. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has created a diplomatic dilemma for New Delhi.

Although India and the United States have forged strategically close ties, New Delhi maintains security ties with Moscow. Russia still supplies most of India's armaments.

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Sringla told a news conference on Thursday that the situation was "complex" and "developing" and that "no country has ever understood it."