India supports all initiatives aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone conversation on Saturday.

Modi, who arrived in Tianjin this evening to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit beginning Sunday, is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. The Ukraine conflict is expected to feature prominently.

During the call, Zelensky conveyed his readiness for talks with the Russian leadership and stressed that ending the war must begin with an immediate ceasefire. In a social media post, the Ukrainian president said India is prepared to make “the necessary efforts” and deliver the “appropriate signal” to Moscow and other leaders at the SCO summit.

“Thank President Zelensky for his phone call today. We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction,” Modi posted on X.

The Indian release said Modi reaffirmed India’s “steadfast and consistent position” favouring dialogue and diplomacy for an early restoration of peace. He reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to extend all possible support towards this goal.

Zelensky also briefed Modi on his August 18 meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, held three days after Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska. “It was a productive and important conversation, a shared vision among partners on how to achieve real peace. Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness for a meeting with the head of Russia,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader accused Moscow of showing “no positive signal” since then and instead carrying out “cynical strikes on civilian targets” that killed dozens. He thanked Modi for his condolences to the families of victims and said both sides coordinated positions ahead of the SCO summit.

“The end of this war must begin with an immediate ceasefire, with the necessary silence. It is impossible to speak meaningfully about peace while our cities and communities are under constant fire,” Zelensky said.

Modi and Zelensky also reviewed bilateral ties, discussed preparations for reciprocal visits and the holding of a joint intergovernmental commission meeting. Zelensky expressed hope of meeting Modi “in the near future”.

India has repeatedly maintained that the Russia-Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield and should end through dialogue. Modi conveyed the same message to Putin during his visit to Moscow last July and to Zelensky in Kyiv the following month.