India, March 20 -- Dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and India backs all steps for the early and peaceful resolution of issues between the two sides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.

This was only the second time that Modi spoke to the leaders of the warring nations on the same day since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Modi had told Putin during a meeting in 2022 that "today's era is not an era of war" and India has consistently pushed for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

In his phone call with Putin, Modi congratulated the Russian president on ...