Putin dials Modi: PM thanks 'friend' for b'day wishes; 'India ready to help in Ukraine peace efforts'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday thanked Russian President "friend" Vladimir Putin for his 75th birthday greetings during a phone call and said that India is ready to make all possible contributions towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.In a post on X, PM Modi said that the Russian President called him and wished him on his birthday. He said, "Thank you, my friend, President Putin, for your phone call and warm wishes on my 75th birthday. We are committed to further strengthening our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. India is ready to make all possible contributions towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict."On PM Modi's 75th birthday, President Putin praised his “significant personal role” in bolstering ties between Moscow and New Delhi.In a message published on the Kremlin website, the Russian leader said, "Dear Mr Prime Minister, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your 75th birthday.""You are making a great personal contribution to strengthening the special privileged strategic partnership between our countries, to developing mutually beneficial Russian-Indian cooperation in various areas," he said.He noted that under Modi’s leadership, India has achieved remarkable progress in social, economic, scientific and technological spheres. PM Modi and Putin had last met in Tianjin last month during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.