Ukraine war: What to make of Modis plea to Putin to end conflict

This isn’t the first time a foreign leader has publicly urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Just five weeks ago the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested Putin freeze the conflict and return to the negotiating table.

He didn’t. And he hasn’t.

There’s no sign of these public calls for peace changing Putin’s calculations.

To Modi’s call for a cessation of hostilities, the Kremlin leader replied:

“Thank you very much, prime minister. We are moving forward along this path.”

Polite, but vague. And non-committal.

After all, a path can be short. But it can also be long. Very long.

And “moving forward” at what pace?

And, crucially, on which path?

All the evidence suggests that Russia’s leadership remains convinced it is on a path to military victory in Ukraine. To frame that in terms of peace, “moving forward” to peace on Russia’s terms dictated by military success.

Therefore, for now, the fighting goes on.

Despite the fact that, after more than four-and-a-half years of war and huge military losses, the Kremlin has yet to secure victory.

And despite Ukraine’s success in bringing the war back home to Russians: for example, through long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries that have sparked fuel shortages and petrol queues across the country.