Modi to Skip Annual Putin Summit Over Ukraine Nuke Threats

  • Russia-India have held 21 summits in the last two decades
  • Modi is seeking to balance ties with Russia and the US

Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin at last year’s summit in New Delhi on Dec. 6, 2021. 

Photographer: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t be holding an annual in-person summit with Vladimir Putin after the Russian president threatened to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The relationship between India and Russia remains strong but trumpeting the friendship at this point may not be beneficial for Modi, said a senior official with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.