Russia wants war to end 'as soon as possible': Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wants to see the end of the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. Putin said this in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in Uzbekistan on Friday. Reuters reported this information in a report on Friday.

During the meeting, Putin told Modi, "I am aware of your position and your concerns on the conflict in Ukraine." We want this to be over as soon as possible.

A two-day SCO conference is being held in Uzbekistan on September 15 and 16.

This year's conference is expected to discuss the Ukraine war and the growing tension between China and the West on a large scale.

On the sidelines of this conference, Putin also met with Iran's President Ibrahim Raisi, China's President Xi Jinping and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Currently, the alliance has eight countries as permanent members. They are Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

Formed in 2001, the scope of this alliance is growing rapidly. Iran applied for full membership last year. It is known that Iran will be a full member from the middle of 2023.

Currently, the alliance includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia as observer countries. On the other hand, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey are dialogue partners.