Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being keenly watched by his Western allies as he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on his first foreign trip since he returned to office for a third term in June.
Mr Modi landed on Monday, just hours after Russian bombing killed at least 41 people in Ukraine, including at a children's hospital in Kyiv, sparking a global outcry.
Photos from Moscow showed a beaming Mr Modi hugging the Russian president.
A video of a smiling Mr Putin calling Mr Modi "my dearest friend" and telling him that he was "delighted to see him" has gone viral in India.
Mr Modi's two-day visit - his first to the Kremlin since 2019 - coincides with a Nato summit in Washington, where the 2022 invasion will be a major theme.
India, a key global economy, has close ties with both Russia and the US and its partners and officials in Delhi are playing down questions over the timing of Mr Modi's trip.
They say the annual summit is part of a long-standing strategic partnership and its scheduling has nothing to do with the Nato summit.
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@MajorityCoyoteDemocrat2yrs2Y
It is actually quite an embarrassment for Indian PM Modi to celebrate Putin in Moscow just after he has bombed the main children's hospital in Kyiv.
Are these Modi's "values"?
@WeaverRubyGreen2yrs2Y
Modi needs energy: uranium, coal, oil, gas.
I’ve seen an interview with Indian energy minister scorning we in the West for judging the Indian govt for putting the Indian people first.
I probably agree with him.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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