Death of innocent children during war , conflict or terrorist attack "is very painful", Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after Ukraine reported that the main children's hospital in Kiev had been hit by a Russian missile strike, Reuters reported, as quoted by BTA.
Modi added that the solution to the war in Ukraine "cannot be found on the battlefield, we must achieve peace through negotiations.
Russia has denied that it attacked the children's hospital in the Ukrainian capital.
The Russian president, for his part, told Modi that their countries have a special strategic partnership and thanked him for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.
Talks between the two leaders in the Kremlin are expected to include Russian energy supplies to India and economic and strategic ties.
The Russian state nuclear energy company "Rosatom" said it was in talks about the possibility of building six more nuclear power units in India.
Cooperation between India and Russia has ensured stability in the world energy market, Narendra Modi emphasized before the start of official talks between the Russian and Indian delegations in the Kremlin. "The whole world should recognize that India-Russia energy cooperation has ensured stability in the global market," he said.
"The whole world is facing a fuel crisis, but thanks to our cooperation we have been able to avoid any difficulties for the common citizens of India, we are providing them with petrol and diesel,", Modi stressed.
"Energy arrangements helped provide fuel to citizens and control inflation, thereby ensuring stability," the Indian Prime Minister stressed.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in May that extensive energy cooperation with Russia and increased India-Russia trade had fueled the republic's growing economy. He stated that there were attempts to "force" India into not to buy oil from Russia, but Delhi insisted on its own.
The Kremlin doubts that the NATO countries will take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's peace initiatives into consideration, said the Russian President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by TASS.
"A NATO summit is taking place these days. "All the rhetoric that has preceded it shows that (Alliance countries) are unlikely to listen (to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's peace initiatives), but we will continue to monitor what approaches will dominate there," the Kremlin spokesman stressed in comment in "Telegram".
However, he noted that "more and more statesmen are really talking about dialogue".
"A person may not agree on some things, may not agree on many things, but if there is a dialogue, there is an opportunity to find solutions," Peskov emphasized.