Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in addition to ongoing negotiations, a government source said.
Modi, who spoke to Zelenskiy before a 50-minute-long call with Putin, was briefed by the Russian leader on the status of the negotiations between the two warring countries, the source said.
"Prime Minister Modi urged President Putin to hold direct talks with President Zelenskiy of Ukraine," the source said, declining to be named in line with government policy.
In his call with Zelenskiy, Modi expressed deep concern about the conflict and the humanitarian crisis it had caused, a government statement said.
Modi underlined the need to evacuate Indian students trapped in eastern Ukraine, including around 700 nationals in the city of Sumy, according to the source and the statement.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.