Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today told Russian President Vladimir Putin on the eve of the BRICS summit that he wants peace in Ukraine and that New Delhi is ready to help broker a ceasefire to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War.

Putin, who sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, wants the BRICS summit to highlight the growing power of the non-Western world after the United States and its European and Asian allies tried to isolate Russia because of the war .

Russia is expecting 22 leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping who arrived today to take part in the BRICS summit, representing 45% of the world’s population and 35% of the world’s economy.

Putin, seen by the West as a war criminal, thanked Modi for accepting an invitation to visit Kazan, a city on the banks of the Volga, and said Russia and India shared a “privileged strategic partnership”.

Modi thanked Putin for his “strong friendship”, hailed the growing cooperation and development of BRICS but also said India believed the conflict in Ukraine should end peacefully.

“We are in constant touch on the issue of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Modi said. “We believe that problems should be solved only by peaceful means.”

“We fully support the speedy restoration of peace and stability. All our efforts give priority to humanity, India is ready to give all possible support in the times ahead,” he said, adding that he would discuss the issues with Putin.

The BRICS summit comes as world economic leaders gather in Washington amid wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, a weak Chinese economy and a U.S. presidential election that could spark new trade frictions.

With BRICS expanding — and a waiting list of potential members — there is concern about whether enlargement will make the group more unwieldy.

China and India, the biggest buyers of Russian oil, have difficult relations, and there is animosity between Arab countries and Iran.

Answering questions from reporters covering the BRICS summit, Putin said Moscow would not give up the four Ukrainian regions it says are now part of Russia and that Moscow wanted its long-term security interests to be taken into account in the Europe.

Two Russian sources said that while there is increasing talk in Moscow of a possible cease-fire agreement, nothing is concrete yet — and that the world is awaiting the outcome of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.

Russia, which is advancing, has brought under its control about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea which it seized and unilaterally annexed in 2014, about 80% of the Donbass — a zone that includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — and over 70% of Zaporizhia and Kherson regions,

Putin said the West had now realized Russia would win, but said he was open to talks based on drafts of a ceasefire agreement drawn up in Istanbul in April 2022.

On the eve of the BRICS summit, Putin met with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan for informal talks that lasted until midnight at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow.

BRICS

Putin praised Sheikh Mohammed as well as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will not attend the summit in Kazan, for their mediation efforts in Ukraine.

“We are ready to make every effort to resolve the crises for the benefit of peace, for the benefit of both sides,” Sheikh Mohammed told Putin.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva canceled his trip after being advised by a doctor to temporarily avoid long-haul flights after suffering a head injury during an accident at home.

The BRICS acronym was coined in 2001 by Jim O’Neill, then chief economist at Goldman Sachs, in a research paper highlighting the massive growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China this century.

Russia, India and China began to meet more formally, eventually adding Brazil, then South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE. Saudi Arabia has not yet officially become a member.

The BRICS share of global GDP is forecast to reach 37% by the end of this decade, while the Group of Seven (G7) share of the West’s largest economies will fall to around 28% from 30% this year, according to data from the International Monetary Fund Fund (IMF).

Russia is trying to convince BRICS countries to build an alternative platform for international payments that will not be affected by Western sanctions.