Putin says 'understandings' reached at Alaska summit open way to peace in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday (Sep 1) that "understandings" he reached with US President Donald Trump at a summit in August opened a way to peace in Ukraine, which he would discuss with leaders attending a regional summit in China.

Kyiv and its Western allies call Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022 an imperial war of conquest to annex territory, though Russia says it is special military operation aimed to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine.

Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia are attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization forum in the city of Tianjin, hosted by President Xi Jinping.

"We highly appreciate the efforts and proposals from China and India aimed at facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told the forum.

"The understandings reached at the recent Russia–US meeting in Alaska, I hope, also contribute toward this goal."

He said he had already detailed to Xi on Sunday the achievements of his talks with Trump and the work "already underway" to resolve the conflict and would provide more detail in two-way meetings with the Chinese leader and others.

"For the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the root causes of the crisis must be addressed."

Part of the source of the conflict "lies in the ongoing attempts by the West to bring Ukraine into NATO", Putin reiterated.

On the sidelines of the SCO summit on Monday, Modi held Putin's hand as they walked towards Xi. All three smiled as they spoke, surrounded by translators.

Modi and Putin held bilateral talks later that day, after the leaders' meeting. The Indian prime minister, in a statement on social media, posted a photograph of him and Putin travelling in the armoured Russian Aurus limousine to their meeting.

"Conversations with him are always insightful," Modi wrote on X.

Putin often travels with the Aurus on foreign trips and has occasionally offered rides to fellow leaders - or even gifted the vehicle, as he did to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2024.

Modi told Putin at the bilateral meeting that India and Russia had stuck together even in hard times.

"Even in the most difficult situations, India and Russia have always walked shoulder to shoulder," Modi said. "Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries but also for global peace, stability and prosperity."

At the bilateral meeting, Putin addressed Modi in Russian as "Dear Mr Prime Minister, dear friend".

"Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades, friendly and trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future," Putin said.

Modi said he welcomed recent efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

"We hope that all parties will move forward constructively. A way has to be found to end the conflict as soon as possible and establish permanent peace," Modi said.

China and India are the biggest buyers of crude oil from Russia, the world's second largest exporter. Trump has imposed additional tariffs on India over the purchases but there is no sign that India or China are going to stop them.

Held from Aug 31 to Sep 1, the SCO summit in Tianjin brought together more than 20 heads of state and 10 chiefs of international organisations.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was among the foreign leaders set to attend the summit as well as the Sep 3 World War II parade in Beijing, but cancelled his China visit at the 11th hour amid worsening nationwide protests.

Widespread anti-government protests and rioting over issues such as extra pay for parliamentarians and housing allowances have rocked Indonesia, resulting in at least five deaths in recent days.

When asked about the recent protests in Indonesia, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that China understands and respects the Indonesian government's decision to cancel Prabowo's trip.

Prabowo's representative will attend the summit and the military parade, Guo said at a regular press conference, adding that China hopes Indonesia can take effective measures to protect Chinese nationals in the Southeast Asian country.