Washington, India is a strategic partner with which it engages in full and frank dialogue, the United States said on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

"India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue. And that includes our concerns about its relationship with Russia," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

He was responding to questions about Modi's visit to Moscow for bilateral talks with Putin.

"We just saw Modi, as well as (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban, meet with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. We thought it was an important step to take. And we urged India, as we do with any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine must be one that respects the UN charter, that respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the sovereignty of Ukraine," Miller said.

"I will be watching Prime Minister Modi's public statements to see what he talked about. But, as I said, we made our concerns very clear directly to India about its relationship with Russia. So we hope that India and any other country, when engage, with Russia, it would make it clear that Russia must respect the UN charter, it must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," he said in response to a question.

Putin on Monday night hosted Modi at his official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo for a "private engagement" during which he praised the visiting Indian leader for the work he has done for the country's progress.

This is Modi's first trip to Russia since his invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.