US media praises PM Modi for telling Putin now is 'not an era of war'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Friday (September 16) praised by the mainstream American media for telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that this is not the time for war in Ukraine, during their conversation on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The story appeared as a lead on the webpage of both The Washington Post and The New York Times.

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The Washington Post headline read: “Modi rebukes Putin over war in Ukraine.”

The article further read: “In a stunning public rebuke, Modi told Putin: ‘Today’s era is not an era of war and I have spoken to you on the phone about this’.”

“The rare reproach showed the 69-year-old Russian strongman coming under extraordinary pressure from all sides,” said the Washington Post.

Putin in his response to Modi said: “I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, about your concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible.”

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“Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its abandonment of the negotiation process, declared that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, as they say, ‘on the battlefield.’ Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there,” he added.

The New York Times headline read: “India’s Leader Tells Putin That Now Is Not an Era for War.”

“The tone of the meeting was friendly, with both leaders referring to their long-shared history. Before Mr. Modi made his comments, Mr. Putin said he understood India’s concerns about the war in Ukraine,” the article by The New York Times read.

Had a wonderful meeting with President Putin. We got the opportunity to discuss furthering India-Russia cooperation in sectors such as trade, energy, defence and more. We also discussed other bilateral and global issues. pic.twitter.com/iHW5jkKOW0

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2022

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“Mr. Modi’s comments came a day after President Xi Jinping of China, in his first face-to-face meeting with Mr. Putin since the invasion began, struck a far more subdued tone than the Russian president and steered clear in his public comments of any mention of Ukraine,” it further read.