India’s Modi tells Putin that ‘the heart bleeds’ when children are killed

MOSCOW - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 9 that the death of innocent children is painful and terrifying, a day after a lethal strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv.

The pointed remark by the visiting Indian leader was an implicit rebuke to Mr Putin, who, moments earlier, had welcomed him to the Kremlin with a warm statement on the importance of the strategic ties between the two countries.

Ukraine said it had recovered fragments of a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile at the hospital, which was

hit on July 8 during a wave of Russian attacks

that killed at least 41 Ukrainians across the country. Russia said, without providing evidence, that it was a Ukrainian anti-missile system that struck the hospital.

“Whether it is war, conflict or a terrorist attack, any person who believes in humanity is pained when there is loss of lives,” Mr Modi said.

“But even in that, when innocent children are killed, the heart bleeds, and that pain is very terrifying.”

It was not the first time that Mr Modi has appeared to criticise Russia over its actions in Ukraine. In September 2022, he told Mr Putin that “today’s era is not an era of war”, and Mr Putin said at that time he understood Mr Modi’s concerns.

India, however, has not condemned Russia’s invasion, and has taken the opportunity to buy record amounts of discounted Russian oil as sanctions have decimated Moscow’s trade with the West.

Special partnership

For Russia, India has become an increasingly important partner, both economically and diplomatically, as Moscow seeks to demonstrate that Western attempts to isolate it have failed.

Mr Putin, speaking before Mr Modi, said their two countries enjoyed a “particularly privileged strategic partnership” and thanked him for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war.

“I thank you for the attention you are paying to the most acute problems, including trying to find ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, above all by peaceful means, of course,” he said.

Mr Modi responded: “As a friend, I have always said that peace is necessary for our future generations. Solutions are not possible on the battleground. Amidst guns, bullets and bombs, peace talks cannot be successful. We have to find the path to peace only through talks.”

The timing of the Ukrainian hospital missile attack was embarrassing for Mr Modi, as he began his two-day visit on July 8.

As Mr Modi shared an image of him hugging Mr Putin on social media platform X, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day”.

The US State Department said on July 8 that it had raised concerns with India about its relationship with Russia. Separately, US President Joe Biden called the latest attacks on Ukraine “a horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality”.

Russia said it struck military targets, and the Kremlin repeated its insistence that Russia does not target civilians.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 9 that Mr Putin and Mr Modi held “comprehensive discussions” on the entire agenda between the two countries, and no further talks were planned between their wider delegations during Mr Modi’s visit to Moscow. REUTERS