New Delhi, April 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he would "help in whatever way" to ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, after Moscow praised New Delhi for taking a "balanced stance" on the two countries' ongoing hostilities.

This was conveyed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he paid a visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday evening before concluding his visit to India. Turkey, Israel, and France have all offered their good offices to ease tensions between Moscow and Kiev so far.

"Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed Prime Minister on the situation in Ukraine, including ongoing peace talks. The Prime Minister reaffirmed his demand for an immediate end to the bloodshed and expressed India's willingness to assist in any way with peace efforts "Following the Modi-Lavrov meeting, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) issued a statement.

While praising India's non-unilateral approach to the Ukraine conflict earlier in the day, a top Russian diplomat said that India's foreign policy is marked by independence and a focus on legitimate national interests - the same political foundation that exists in Russia and makes the two countries good friends and partners. Lavrov praised India's "balanced stance," saying that the Indian capital "commands respect" since it is not influenced by "blackmail and diktat" tactics.

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