International: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, told him that he backed an early, peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict and added, "India is always ready to help bring peace". "I have been in constant touch with you on the subject of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. As I have said earlier, we believe that the problems should be resolved in a peaceful manner. We fully support the early establishment of peace and stability. All our efforts give priority to humanity. India is ready to provide all possible cooperation in the times to come," PM Modi told President Putin during the bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

Notably, Prime Minister Modi is in Kazan City, where he is slated to attend the BRICS Summit with other world leaders. Earlier in July this year, when the Indian leader met Putin, he reiterated New Delhi's willingness to help both sides in ending the war. "Whether it is war, conflict or a terrorist attack, any person who believes in humanity, is pained when there is loss of lives," PM Modi had said during his last visit to Moscow. "But even in that, when innocent children are killed, the heart bleeds and that pain is very terrifying," he added.

Meanwhile, in Kazan, the Prime Minister underscored that his back-to-back visits to Russia in the past three months deepened the relations between the two countries. "I express my heartfelt gratitude for your friendship, warm welcome and hospitality. It is a matter of great pleasure for me to have the opportunity to visit a beautiful city like Kazan for the BRICS Summit. The opening of India's new consulate in Kazan will further strengthen these ties," he said during the meeting.

"My two visits to Russia in the last three months reflect our close coordination and deep friendship. Our Annual Summit in Moscow in July has strengthened our cooperation in every field...In 15 years, the BRICS has created its special identity and now many countries of the world want to join it. I am looking forward to participating in the BRICS Summit tomorrow," PM Modi said.

 Nothing concrete on ceasefire

Putin, who is cast by the West as a war criminal, thanked Prime Minister Modi for accepting the invitation to visit Kazan, a city on the banks of the Volga, and said Russia and India shared a "privileged strategic partnership".

When asked by BRICS reporters about the prospects for peace, Putin said that Moscow would not trade away the four regions of eastern Ukraine that it says are now part of Russia and that Moscow wants its long-term security interests taken into account in Europe.

Two Russian sources told news agency Reuters that, while there was increasing talk in Moscow of a possible ceasefire agreement, there was nothing concrete yet - and that the world was awaiting the result of the November 5 presidential election in the United States.