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Narendra Modi has urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war.

The Indian prime minister told the Ukrainian president he would act as a “friend” to help bring peace, as the two leaders met in Kyiv.

Mr Modi said he had come to the Ukrainian capital with a message of peace.

“The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy, and we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Mr Modi said.

“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that. I want to assure you as a friend.”

Mr Modi said India had not been neutral or a bystander during the conflict and was always on the side of peace.

New Delhi has so far avoided condemning Russia’s invasion and Mr Zelenskyy previously criticised Mr Modi for his visit to Moscow in July, chiding him for hugging Vladimir Putin during their meeting.

Your questions answered: Is there a larger response to come from Russia over the Kursk invasion?

Readers have been asking questions to know what media correspondents and military experts think about the changing battlefield environment.

Today, you got your answers:

Should the fact that there has been no direct response from Putin militarily regarding the Ukraine incursion into Russia signal a larger more catastrophic response to come from Russia? Or is this just “how they’re playing it”?

When Ukraine first launched its audacious incursion into Russian territory over a fortnight ago, some commentators were concerned that the attack would provoke a swift and ruthless response from Vladimir Putin.  However, over a fortnight into Ukraine’s military operation, it now appears that Russia has struggled to develop a coherent response, and Ukraine maintains the initiative.

The Ukrainian operation appears to have been well planned, and Ukraine has capitalised on its initial success by reinforcing its forces and pushing deeper into Russia.  Although Ukraine has not declared the objectives of this dynamic operation, it appears that Volodymyr Zelenskyy  was seeking to seize the initiative, bolster Ukrainian morale, and provoke a military response from Russia that would relieve pressure on an embattled Ukrainian frontline in the Donbas.   

Mr Putin was clearly frustrated at the Ukrainian incursion, but a ruthless Russian military response was only one option. Ukraine is short of military capability – soldiers and weapons – and it appears that they have deployed up to 10,000 soldiers (probably battle-hardened) into Russian territory. This “fixes” these Ukrainian forces well away from the frontline Russian action in the Donbas. 

Mr Putin knows that progress on the frontline will slow when winter arrives, so his forces have perhaps 10 to 12 weeks remaining to achieve the objectives of his so-called Special Military Operation. By focusing on Russian main effort in the Donbas, Mr Putin knows that Ukraine has diluted the forces available to resist the Russian assault towards Pokrovsk, which might enable greater progress in the limited time available.   

Once Russia’s objectives in the Donbas have been achieved, Mr Putin might consider that he can address the Kursk incursion in slower time.