Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday officially conferred the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ award by Russian President Vladimir Putin for exceptional services in promoting bilateral ties between the two countries.

“Honoured to receive the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. I dedicate it to the people of India,” Modi said in a post on X after receiving the award at a ceremony here.

Established in 1698 by Tsar Peter the Great in honour of Saint Andrew, the first apostle of Jesus and patron saint of Russia, the Order of St Andrew the Apostle is the highest state decoration of Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for trying to help find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis.

“I am grateful to you for the attention you pay to the most pressing issues, particularly trying to find ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis, primarily through peaceful means, Putin was quoted as saying by the official TASS news agency.

Putin made the statement during his talks with Modi here at the Kremlin, it said.

In his televised opening remarks, Modi conveyed to Putin and assured the world community that India was on the side of peace and was ready to contribute to ending the conflict in Ukraine.