Putin’s “friends” began to speak out more openly against the war: what is behind this?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have recently publicly criticized Russia over its war in Ukraine, a move that signals a shift in tone from Moscow’s partners as the war’s consequences for Russia and its allies grow.

This is reported by The Wall Street Journal .

During a recent summit in Kyrgyzstan, Modi urged Putin to move from war to its end.

“It is time to move from endless war to ending it,” Modi said.

In July, during a meeting with Putin, Tokayev also questioned the continuation of the war, noting that many countries were asking why Russia was still fighting.

“The nature of the conflict is not fully understood by many, including us,” Tokayev said.

The consequences of the war are increasingly being felt by Russia’s partners. India is under pressure from the West over its purchase of Russian oil, and four Indian crew members were killed after a Russian missile strike on a cargo ship in the Black Sea.

Kazakhstan has faced disruptions in the operation of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, on which its oil exports depend.

“There may be growing concern that the escalation of the conflict is spreading and affecting other countries and their economies,” said Hannah Notte.

Criticism from Kazakhstan and Armenia also suggests Moscow’s influence in Central Asia and the South Caucasus is weakening. According to Notte, Russia’s focus on the war in Ukraine gives other states more confidence to openly criticize the Kremlin.

At the same time, visits are expected to be made to Moscow and Kyiv by US President’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with a proposal to end the war. The Kremlin is pessimistic about the prospects for agreements and believes that Putin is ready to end the war only on Moscow’s terms.

As is known, US President’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday, September 5.

Let us recall that after several weeks of reflection, in the summer of 2026, Vladimir Putin decided to escalate the war against Ukraine again . This step was based on his main fear – the loss of his own life and power.

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