Published: 18th of September, 2022.

In a recent televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi put pressure on the Kremlin to end the war with Ukraine. “I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this,” Mr Modi told the Russian president. India is a long time friend and ally of Russia.

As the Indian leader made the remark, Putin pursed his lips, glanced at him, and then looked down before touching the hair on the back of his head.

“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, the concerns that you constantly express,” he said. “We will do everything to stop this as soon as possible.”

On February 24 this year, under the command of Vladimir Putin, Russian forces invaded Ukraine sparking a mass exodus of Ukrainians fleeing the destruction and devastation of the ensuing war. The Ukrainian President however decreed that all “fighting age men” between the ages of 18 to 60 years stay in the country to defend their homeland. Since then, Ukraine has received a torrent of financial and military support from NATO countries and around the world. However, Ukraine’s allies stopped short of entering the war against Russia citing fears that it could push the world into a nuclear war.

Vladimir Putin had said he was conducting a “special military operation,” and said the objective of the invasion was the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine. That bit of jargon has been rubbished as nonsense. The attack on Ukraine was clearly an attempt to invade and conquer Ukraine, making it part of Russia. But it is now turning into a failed military operation.

Ukrainian soldiers and civilians held their ground and fought bravely against the world’s second most powerful military. Despite being badly beaten and suffering heavy losses in the initial few months, the tides are now turning. The Ukrainian flag flies high once again over dozens of settlements recaptured from Russian troops as Ukrainian forces liberate thousands of square kilometers of territory near Kharkiv.