Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Delhi's Palam airport after his two-nation visit to Russia and Austria

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Palam airport in Delhi on Thursday after concluding his two-nation visit to Russia and Austria, during which he held talks with the top leadership of the two countries and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation.

Modi first travelled to Russia, where he participated in the 22nd India-Russia summit with President Vladimir Putin, in his first trip to Moscow since the Ukraine conflict.

During his visit, he told Russian President Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield, and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs, guns and bullets.

The prime minister was on Tuesday officially conferred the 'Order of St Andrew the Apostle' award by President Putin for his contribution to fostering bilateral ties between the two countries. The award was announced in 2019.

From Moscow, Modi travelled to Austria, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit the country in 41 years.

During his visit, Modi met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in several sectors, including the environment and combating climate change.

(With PTI inputs)