Analysts say while India could act as a potential bridge in engaging parties locked in conflict, ensuring a resolution works will be harder.

The trip happened following the bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

The two-day summit aims to promote a vision of a multipolar world and mutual trade ties amid Trump’s unilateralism.

India confirms 51 citizens recruited into Russian armed forces have died in the Ukraine war. PM Modi and Putin discussed peace, India-Russia ties, trade, and regional issues at the SCO Summit.

SCO Summit 2026 LIVE: PM Modi is in Bishkek for the 26th SCO Summit, with his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin among the key engagements scheduled on Monday.

The visit follows PM Modi’s recent talks with Russian President Putin and comes as fighting between Moscow and Kyiv remains intense.

Putin’s friends finally tell him the truth: Get out of Ukraine to save yourself - ANALYSIS: The Russian president didn’t like what Narendra Modi told him but India’s PM is trying to keep the global gang together,

The brief exchange between Modi and Xi assumes particular significance because India-China ties have been undergoing a carefully managed reset after the deadly Galwan Valley clash of June 2020.