Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has backed out of an annual Russia-India summit as a result of of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to make use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Friday citing an nameless supply within the Indian authorities. 

Modi believes that drawing an excessive amount of consideration to the connection with the Kremlin may very well be damaging to his picture, the unnamed official allegedly informed Bloomberg.   

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that the December summit gained’t be held this yr, though he didn’t specify a cause. 

Putin has repeatedly engaged in nuclear saber-rattling over Ukraine, warning Wednesday of a “growing” risk of nuclear conflict throughout a gathering of the Kremlin’s Human Rights Council.

While Modi publicly criticized Putin in September over the invasion of Ukraine, India has not condemned Moscow in the identical manner as Western international locations. 

In addition to abstaining from United Nations resolutions condemning the Russian invasion, Delhi has avoided imposing financial sanctions and took half within the Russia-led Vostok-2022 military drills in August. 

The leaders of Russia and India have held bilateral conferences yearly since 2000 aside from throughout the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.