Putin tells Modi he'll 'stop' the Ukraine invasion he ordered 'as soon as possible' after the Indian leader criticized Russia's war to his face

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Russia's war in Ukraine while meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face, while both were in the same place.

Modi told Putin that the era was not an era of war.

Putin told the Indian leader that he knew about his concerns and his stance on the conflict in Ukraine. We want the whole thing to end as quickly as possible.

The Russian president spoke to his Indian counterpart the same day that he spoke to the Chinese leader. Putin said that he valued the balanced position of China's friends when it came to the Ukraine crisis.

Putin said they understood your questions and concerns. Although we have spoken about this before, we will explain our position during today's meeting.

China and India have close ties with Moscow and have continued to buy its oil, gas and coal as Western nations moved to cut their purchases, but foreign policy experts and Russia watchers say that the war in Ukraine appears to be driving a wedge in relations

Putin is getting thrashed at the conference table as well. It doesn't take a lot of clairvoyance to see that the leaders of China, India, and other countries are upset by the war in Ukraine. Hal Brands is a professor of global affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies.

Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, said in an appearance on MSNBC that nobody likes loser.

—Katy Tur Reports (@KatyOnMSNBC) September 15, 2022

"As soon as possible" is just rhetoric to appease a trade partner. Putin has tried to justify the invasion as a war of necessity, and has referred to it as a conquest of territory that is rightfully Russian, despite attempts at a diplomatic resolution that Western diplomats view as window dressing. Despite a casualty toll the US estimates to be as high as 80,000 troops, authorities in Russia are accosting people who describe the effort as a war.

Russia has suffered devastating troop losses in Ukraine, and its forces were recently pushed into retreat as a result of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east. Russia has been accused of war crimes as it is facing economic sanctions. The war has caused an energy crisis.

"I think what you're hearing from China, from India, is reflective of concerns around the world about the effects of Russia's aggression on Ukraine, not just on the people of Ukraine," the US Secretary of State said.