Russia will welcome India’s efforts toward peaceful resolution of Ukraine conflict: Peskov
A Kremlin spokesperson stated that India's position on the Ukraine conflict "to a great extent" corresponds with Russia's, since both favour a resolution through peaceful means.
The statement was made ahead of a Russia-India bilateral meeting scheduled for September 11, 2026, on the margins of the BRICS Summit beginning September 12 in New Delhi.
The Kremlin indicated the bilateral meeting would provide an opportunity to discuss the Ukraine conflict along with broader international issues.
The statement reflects continuity in India's declared position of favouring dialogue and diplomacy over military means to end the conflict.
India's Declaratory Position on the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Since the conflict began in February 2022, India's official position has consistently emphasised an end to hostilities through "dialogue and diplomacy" rather than explicitly condemning or endorsing either side, reflecting its long-standing doctrine of strategic autonomy. India has abstained on most UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on the conflict rather than voting for or against, while engaging both Russia and Western capitals bilaterally.
Key Details
- India has abstained on the large majority of UN votes relating to the Russia-Ukraine conflict since 2022.
- India's foreign policy doctrine of "strategic autonomy" (a post-Cold War evolution of Non-Alignment) allows it to maintain simultaneous defence ties with Russia and strategic partnerships (e.g., Quad) with the US and its allies.
- India has offered to play a facilitating role in dialogue between the parties, without formally mediating.
The Kremlin's characterisation of Indian and Russian positions as broadly aligned on seeking a "peaceful solution" is a diplomatic framing of India's neutral, dialogue-first stance rather than an endorsement of any specific Russian position.
UN Charter Chapter VI — Pacific Settlement of Disputes
Article 33 of the UN Charter (Chapter VI, Articles 33–38) obliges parties to a dispute likely to endanger international peace to first seek a solution through negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, or resort to regional arrangements. Unlike Chapter VII (which allows binding enforcement action, including sanctions or force), Chapter VI measures are recommendatory, not binding.
Key Details
- Article 33: parties "shall, first of all, seek a solution" through peaceful means before other recourse; the Security Council may call on parties to do so.
- Chapter VI (pacific settlement) is distinguished from Chapter VII (action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of peace, and acts of aggression), which permits binding sanctions or use of force.
- The Security Council itself has been unable to act decisively on the Ukraine conflict because Russia, as a P-5 member, holds veto power.
India's stated preference for a "peaceful resolution" aligns rhetorically with the Chapter VI framework of pacific settlement, even though the UN's own enforcement mechanism (Security Council) is structurally constrained here by a permanent member's veto.
India-Russia "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership"
India and Russia elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" in December 2010. The relationship is anchored by an Annual Summit mechanism between the Indian Prime Minister and Russian President — the highest institutionalised dialogue in the partnership, initiated in 2000 — supplemented by the Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC, split into a trade/economic track and a military-technical track) and, since December 2021, a "2+2" Foreign and Defence Ministers' dialogue.
The scheduled Modi-Putin bilateral on September 11 functions as this year's edition of the India-Russia Annual Summit, the primary institutional channel through which conflict-related and broader strategic discussions of this kind take place.
- Bilateral meeting: September 11, 2026, New Delhi, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit (September 12–13, 2026).
- India-Russia relationship status: "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" since December 2010.
- India has largely abstained (rather than voted for/against) on UN resolutions concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict since 2022.
- UN Charter Article 33 (Chapter VI) lists negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, and judicial settlement as means of pacific dispute settlement, as distinct from binding Chapter VII enforcement action.