India, Sept. 1 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine at the earliest, describing it as "humanity's call" to restore peace. The two leaders held discussions on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city.

In his televised opening remarks, Modi welcomed recent global efforts to bring peace to Ukraine and expressed hope that all stakeholders would move forward constructively. He said the priority must be to achieve lasting peace in the region without further delay.

Modi also noted that India is preparing to host the Russian leader in December for summit talks, highlighting that New Delhi and Moscow have always ...