Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks In The Works? NSA Doval Meets Russian President Putin, Briefs Him On Modi-Zelenskyy Meet

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (12 September) on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers' meeting.

An image shared by the Russian Embassy in India on X showed both leaders exchanging a cordial handshake.

Doval’s visit to Russia follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark trip to Ukraine, which took place just two and a half weeks ago.

During his discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, PM Modi had emphasised the need for both Russia and Ukraine to engage in dialogue and expressed India’s willingness to actively contribute towards peace efforts.

In the talks with the NSA, Putin expressed hopes that PM Modi will travel to Russia's Kazan next month to attend the annual BRICS summit.

Putin also proposed to hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi on 22 October on the sidelines of the BRICS summit to summarise the outcomes of joint work on the implementation of the agreements reached during his visit to Moscow and to outline prospects for the near future, the Russian Embassy said in a statement.

According to a readout of the meeting, NSA Doval told the Russian President that he came there "on the direction of Prime Minister Modi".

"His visit to Moscow was greatly successful and he was highly satisfied with the visit because he has come back with some precious memories," Doval told Putin.

"As the Prime Minister told you during your telephone talk, he was keen to brief you about his visit to Ukraine and his meeting with President Zelensky. And he wanted me to come specially and personally and brief you on the talks. The talks were in a closed format; it was only the two leaders. He had two people with him, and I happened to be with the Prime Minister. So, I witnessed that, I attended that conversation," Doval said, as per the readout.

Doval's visit to Russia is aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He was reportedly carrying PM Modi's peace plan for President Putin.

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