Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Putin’s Partners Increasingly Challenge Russia Over Ukraine War
Russia has been fighting a long war in Ukraine.
Some countries that usually cooperate with Russia are now speaking more openly against the war.
India’s leader, Narendra Modi, told President Vladimir Putin that the fighting should end.
Kazakhstan’s leader also said many countries did not understand why the war was continuing.
The war has caused problems for these countries too.
Indian workers died after a Russian missile hit a cargo ship in the Black Sea.
Attacks and violence have also disrupted Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
These countries may feel more confident criticizing Russia because Russia is focused on Ukraine and other countries are offering them support.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Vladimir Putin to move from an endless war toward an end to the conflict.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said many countries, including Kazakhstan, questioned why Russia was still fighting.
Russia’s battlefield advances have largely stalled, while Ukrainian attacks have struck refineries and other infrastructure inside Russia.
The war has harmed Moscow’s partners through pressure on India’s Russian oil purchases, deaths of Indian sailors, and disruptions to Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
Criticism from India, Kazakhstan, and Armenia reflects concerns about economic spillover and perceptions of declining Russian influence.
- Who
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and leaders in countries including Armenia and Azerbaijan.
- What
- Several of Russia’s partners have publicly criticized or questioned its continuing war in Ukraine.
- When
- The shift has become more visible in recent months, during the war’s fifth year; Modi spoke at a recent Central Asian summit and Tokayev spoke a little more than a month earlier.
- Where
- The remarks were made at meetings in Central Asia and Siberia, while the war’s effects have spread across Russia, Ukraine, the Black Sea, and Kazakhstan’s export routes.
- Why
- Russia’s partners are facing economic and security consequences from the war and believe Moscow’s focus on Ukraine has reduced its influence.
- Conflict
- The war in Ukraine is in its fifth year, according to the article.
- India’s position
- Narendra Modi said it was time to move from an endless war to an end of the war.
- Kazakhstan’s position
- Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the conflict’s nature was not entirely clear to many countries, including Kazakhstan.
- India and Russia
- India has long bought Russian oil and weapons but has faced Western pressure over those purchases.
- Economic pressure
- U.S. measures pushed tariffs on India as high as 50% last year, according to the article.
- Kazakhstan’s oil exports
- Violence in the Black Sea disrupted the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which Kazakhstan relies on to export oil.
- Armenia
- Armenia has expressed frustration with Russia over its failure to prevent bloodshed during Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.