India on Friday called for "cessation of violence" in Ukraine, as visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his office in Delhi this evening. "PM Modi called for an end to violence as Lavrov briefed him on the situation in Ukraine, including pace negotiations," the Indian Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, after the hour-long meeting. "Prime Minister reiterated his call for an early cessation of violence, and conveyed India's readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts," it added. India's statement comes in the face of massive global pressure on New Delhi to take a stand against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Earlier in the day, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Lavrov in Delhi. "Concluded talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Discussed bilateral cooperation and developments in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Indo-Pacific, ASEAN and the Indian sub-continent," he tweeted. Read: Russia praises India’s neutral stand on Ukraine fighting Later addressing the media, Lavrov said that they would welcome Modi's mediation in diffusing the Ukraine crisis. "India is an important and serious country. If India plays that role that provides resolution, India as our common partner... we are for security guarantee of Ukraine... West has ignored its responsibility... India can support such process," he said. Lavrov is in India at a time when US Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are also visiting the country. In February, Modi urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately halt military action against Ukraine, underscoring the need for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. This was after Ukraine's envoy in Delhi had sought Modi's intervention in ending the Russian offensive.