Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Prime Minister Modi on Monday, strongly condemning the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and expressing support for India in addressing terrorism. During the call, President Putin also accepted an invitation to visit India for the annual summit scheduled later this year.
President Putin conveyed condolences for the loss of life in the attack and emphasized the need to bring the perpetrators and their supporters to justice. The conversation came days after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested Russia, China, or Western countries could play a role in an investigation into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to deepening the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
The leaders stressed that relations between Russia and India were not affected by external influence and continue to develop dynamically.
The call followed an earlier conversation between Minister of Foreign Affairs S V Lavrov and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the Pahalgam terror attack. Lavrov had called for de-escalation and settlement of disagreements between Delhi and Islamabad through political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis.
The Kremlin also called for de-escalation between India and Pakistan, noting concern over the tense atmosphere along the border following the attack where 26 people were killed.
The Resistance Front, identified as a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack.
Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, detailed the conversation on social media, stating President Putin expressed "full support to India in the fight against terrorism."
