// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Why did Modi urge Putin to end Ukraine war - and will he listen?
Watch: Modi tells Putin "move on from an endless war to an end of war"
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been urged by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a close ally, to end Moscow's war against Ukraine.
"Every day spent in war pushes humanity back, and every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm," Modi said on Monday.
Modi, whose country's economy depends heavily on discounted oil from Moscow, has made several similar pleas to Putin since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
BBC correspondents in Delhi and Moscow look at what lies behind Modi's renewed appeal for peace, and Putin's response.
Modi's comments on ending the war in Ukraine are not surprising and don't suggest any tactical change in India's foreign policy.
In fact, speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in 2022 - less than a year into the conflict - Modi told Putin publicly that "now is not the time for war".
But it would be an oversimplification to suggest that Modi's current or past statements on the war can be seen as a rebuff to Putin or Russia's strategy.
Western countries have pushed Modi hard to take a clear stand on the war - but Delhi has largely stayed neutral, urging dialogue to end the war instead.
The stand hasn't made many Western capitals happy but they have continued to court Modi and India - it's just too big and too fast-growing an economy to be ignored.