Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for a shift from “endless war” to “end of the war”, saying every day spent in conflict “sets humanity back”, as he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek and pressed for peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.“We must move from endless war towards an end to the war—a direction essential for the well-being of humanity. A peaceful resolution to all issues as soon as possible—this is the call of humanity and India’s message,” Modi told Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.Modi said every step taken towards peace filled all of humanity with new hope and enthusiasm, and that India would continue to support all efforts towards peace. The PM’s latest message echoed his famous remark to Putin during their meeting in Samarkand in September 2022 when he said that “today’s era was not an era of war”. The two leaders also discussed the conflicts in Ukraine, West Asia and the Black Sea region, with the latter two having implications for maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers. Modi reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remained the way forward in resolving conflicts. The meeting was their first this year and came days after the 27th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Cultural matters met in Moscow on August 24. The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation spanning political, economic, defence, energy, space, mobility and people-to-people ties.They welcomed the outcome of the latest Inter-Governmental Commission meeting and agreed to remain engaged to further strengthen the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”, which the MEA said continued to show resilience despite geopolitical uncertainties.Modi also highlighted the economic momentum in the relationship, recalling Putin’s visit to India last year and discussions with Russian business representatives aimed at taking bilateral economic ties to new heights. “Prioritising national interest has always been our guiding principle, and it will remain our core mantra going forward,” Modi said.The Prime Minister invited Putin to India for the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12-13, saying Indians were eager to welcome the Russian President and his delegation. He said Putin’s visit would strengthen bilateral ties and bolster dialogue and cooperation within the BRICS framework, as India holds the grouping’s chairmanship in 2026.Russia remains a key partner for India in defence, energy and strategic sectors. New Delhi has maintained its independent position on the Ukraine conflict while advocating dialogue and diplomacy as the means to end hostilities.PM Modi conveyed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that India supported all efforts towards ending the conflictModi met Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO summit for their first bilateral since the outbreak of Iran-US conflict in FebThe PM also told Pezeshkian that New Delhi wants to ‘expand and diversify’ the trade basket with Tehran in the ‘times to come’Pushing peace efforts: Modi to Iran President