NSA Ajit Doval Meets Putin In Russia, Brings Ukraine Peace Proposal On Table

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday during the BRICS National Security Advisers' meeting. A picture shared on X by the Russian Embassy in India showed the two exchanging a handshake.

Doval's visit to Russia comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's crucial visit to Ukraine, where PM Modi discussed peace efforts with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that both Ukraine and Russia should engage in dialogue to end the ongoing conflict.

PM Modi also expressed India's readiness to play an "active role" in restoring peace.

Sources indicated that Doval's visit aimed to address the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with reports suggesting that he carried PM Modi's peace plan for President Putin.

During their talks, Putin expressed hopes that PM Modi would attend the annual BRICS summit in Kazan next month and proposed a bilateral meeting on October 22 to review progress on previous agreements.

The Russian Embassy, in a statement released on Telegram, quoted Putin as saying, "We are waiting for our good friend (Narendra) Modi and best regards to him."

Earlier, Doval held extensive discussions with Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in St. Petersburg, covering a range of "mutual interests."

It is understood that PM Modi's conversation with Zelenskyy on August 23 was a key point in Doval's talks with Shoigu.