Russia's Putin Dials PM Modi, Backs India On Pahalgam: 'Perpetrators Must Face Justice'
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Putin conveyed his deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India, saying the perpetrators of the attack must be brought to justice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed.
According to an official statement, Putin conveyed his deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He said the perpetrators of the attack must be brought to justice, said the Ministry of External Affairs.
The two leaders also reiterated their commitment to further deepen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia. PM Modi also conveyed greetings to Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the annual summit to be held in India this year.
This show of support from Putin came before a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council later today to discuss the rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.
'Pakistan will call upon the UNSC to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security by taking appropriate measures to address these concerning developments," said Pakistan's foreign ministry.
India would take the opportunity on Monday to expose Pakistan's role in terror attacks before the international community, as per sources.
The Russian President had earlier sent condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi over the Pahalgam tragedy, strongly condemning the incident as a 'brutal crime" with 'no justification whatsoever".
'Kindly accept the sincere condolences over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, whose victims were civilians — citizens of various countries. This brutal crime has no justification whatsoever. We expect that its organisers and perpetrators will face a deserved punishment," the Russian President said in a letter.
Amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, the Indian Army received a consignment of Igla-S missiles from Russia, along with the S-400 missile defence system, in a major boost for India's aerial defence system. This defence system has been developed indigenously with Russian assistance since 2009.
Pakistan has intensified its activities by issuing frequent naval advisories, conducting aggressive drills in the Arabian Sea, and repeatedly violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. It has conducted training launches of the Abdali-II and FATAH missiles.
However, the Russian-made S-400 and indigenous interception platforms provide India with enough defence capabilities to effectively neutralise shorter-range missile systems.
First Published:
May 05, 2025, 15:03 IST
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