Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as he congratulated the Russian leader on his re-election and reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Both leaders in their telephonic conversation reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues, officials said, adding that they agreed to further strengthen the ‘India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership’.

Congratulating President Putin on his re-election, PM Modi conveyed his best wishes for peace, progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Russia, they said.
The two leaders agreed to make concerted efforts towards further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries in the years to come.
While discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, PM Modi reiterated India’s consistent position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, officials said.
The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.
Putin won the presidential elections on Sunday, receiving 87.17 per cent of the votes based on the result of processing 70 per cent of the electoral protocols, Russia-based TASS reported, citing data from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation candidate Nikolai Kharitonov secured the second spot with 4.1 per cent of the votes while New People Party candidate Vladislav Davankov stood third with 4.8 per cent votes.
The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) candidate, Leonid Slutsky, received a mere 3.15 per cent of the votes counted.