New Delhi, June 30: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on a telephone call on Friday and discussed the recent Wagner Group mutiny in Russia which threw the country on edge, erupting internal chaos over the possibility of a coup.

PM Modi and President Putin discussed the situation around Ukraine and how Moscow had resolved an armed mercenary mutiny, the Kremlin said in a statement. Vladimir Putin and PM Narendra Modi reiterated their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership.

On the Wagner Group's mutiny in Russia, PM Modi “expressed understanding and support for the decisive actions of the Russian leadership to protect law and order, ensure stability in the country and the security of its citizens", the Kremlin said.

On June 24, Wagner mercenary group took control of the Army headquarters of Rostov-on-Don and descended upon Moscow in an attempt to overthrow the military establishments in the country. After merely 36 hours of rebellion, the Wagner chief Prigozhin withdrew his march to "avoid" bloodshed.

“When discussing topical issues of bilateral cooperation, they underscored the importance of further consistent implementation of the major joint projects in various areas and noted with satisfaction substantial growth in trade throughout 2022 and in the first quarter of this year," the Russian side said.

Vladimir Putin also informed PM Modi of Ukraine’s categorical refusal to settle the conflict through diplomacy. “The two leaders discussed the situation around Ukraine. The Russian president assessed the current situation in the special military operation zone, pointing to Kiev’s categorical refusal to take political and diplomatic steps to resolve the conflict," the statement said.

The two leaders also discussed SCO and G20. “In addition, Narendra Modi informed on his international contacts, including ones during his recent visit to Washington. The situation around Ukraine was touched upon as well. The Russian President gave his assessment of the current state of affairs in the special military operation zone," the Kremlin said.-Agencies