Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to strongly condemn the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which took place on April 22. Putin offered Russia’s “full support” to India in its unwavering battle against terrorism.
In a statement following the call, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), reported that Putin expressed deep condolences for the innocent lives lost in the attack and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to supporting India’s fight against terrorism. Putin also emphasized the necessity of bringing the perpetrators and their supporters to justice.
The conversation between the two leaders also saw the reaffirmation of their commitment to further strengthening the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Modi took the opportunity to extend his warm greetings to President Putin ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day. Modi also invited Putin to visit India for the Annual Summit scheduled to take place later in the year.
The brutal attack on April 22 shocked the nation, claiming the lives of 26 innocent tourists in the Baisaran Valley, near Pahalgam. The assailants, four heavily armed terrorists – two of whom were from Pakistan – opened fire indiscriminately on a group of tourists. This tragedy has been described as one of the most horrific in recent memory for the region.
The call between the two leaders came just before President Putin is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will visit Russia from May 7-10 to participate in the events marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Following the call, the Kremlin issued a statement reaffirming Putin’s condolences to Prime Minister Modi over the tragic loss of Indian lives in the attack. The statement also emphasized the two nations’ shared stance on fighting terrorism “in all its forms.”
The Russian statement further underlined the strategic nature of the Russian-Indian relationship, which remains robust and continues to grow dynamically, unaffected by external influence. Prime Minister Modi also conveyed his congratulations to Putin and the Russian people on the occasion of Victory Day, which is regarded as a shared holiday. An Indian representative will attend the ceremonial events in Moscow, the statement confirmed.
Modi’s invitation for Putin to attend the annual bilateral summit in India was accepted with gratitude by the Russian leader. However, it was noted that Prime Minister Modi, who had also been invited to Russia for the Victory Day celebrations, would not be making the trip this year.
Earlier, President Putin had extended his condolences to Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi, expressing sympathy over the consequences of the terrorist attack. In his message on April 22, Putin condemned the brutality of the attack and reiterated Russia’s commitment to supporting India in combating terrorism. He also offered his condolences to the families of the victims and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.
On May 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation with India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar to discuss the evolving situation and bilateral relations, particularly in light of the escalation in India-Pakistan tensions following the attack. Lavrov underscored the importance of resolving differences between New Delhi and Islamabad through diplomatic and political means in accordance with past agreements such as the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.
Jaishankar later posted on social media about his discussion with Lavrov, emphasizing that those responsible for the Pahalgam attack, including its planners and supporters, must be brought to justice. The two ministers also reviewed various areas of bilateral cooperation.
Putin had previously invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the 75th anniversary celebrations of Victory Day in Moscow in 2020, but Modi could not attend. More recently, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that Putin is expected to visit India in early 2025, following an invitation from Modi. This visit is part of the ongoing commitment to holding annual meetings between the two leaders.
Ushakov added that the Russian side had committed to hosting the next meeting in India, as per the agreement between the two leaders to meet once a year. Putin’s last visit to India was in December 2021 during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi.
In 2023, Prime Minister Modi made two significant visits to Russia: he participated in the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and later attended the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October.
