Indian PM Narendra Modi Announces Ukraine Visit to Repair Frayed Ties

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine President Volod
Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP
Frances Martel

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a visit to Poland, announced on Wednesday that he would travel to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and work on “deepening” India’s ties to the country.

The visit to Kyiv will be the first ever for an Indian head of government and address mounting tensions between Kyiv and New Delhi, exacerbated by India’s close relationship to Russia and incidents such as the Ukrainian Defense Ministry sharing art featuring a scantily clad depiction of a Hindu goddess. It will also be the first visit for an Indian Prime Minister to an active war zone.

While India has long relied on Russia for regular weapons sales and continues to purchase vast amounts of Russian oil, Modi’s upcoming conversation with Zelensky also comes on the heels of outrage in India after families of the missing accused Russia of scamming young Indian men into fighting on the front lines in the Ukraine invasion.

Modi announced the visit via social media, where he specified that Zelensky had personally invited him to his country. Zelensky has enthusiastically encouraged prominent international figures to make the pilgrimage to wartime Kyiv since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 and welcomed a host of world leaders, such as President Joe Biden, as well as popular personalities such as comedian Ben Stiller and Swedish climate alarmism activist Greta Thunberg.

“This visit will be an opportunity to build on the earlier discussions with him and deepening the India-Ukraine friendship,” Modi wrote. “We will also share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region.”

Ukrainian state media site Ukrinform reported that Modi is expected in Kyiv on Friday after his stop in Poland and will mark Ukrainian Flag Day with Zelensky.

“During the visit, Modi will hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation. A number of documents are to be signed between Ukraine and India,” the state outlet added. “On Thursday, August 22, Modi will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.”

Traveling to Kyiv by air is not feasible given the ongoing Russian invasion, so Modi will travel from Poland to Ukraine via a special ten-hour train, India’s World Is One News (WION) reported on Wednesday.

Modi confirmed his arrival in Poland on Wednesday, emphasizing the use of meetings there to improve bilateral ties.

While Ukrinform reported on the scheduled trip, Zelensky has personally not commented on it at press time. On Monday, however, Zelensky noted in a thread on Ukraine’s foreign policy that he hopes to emphasize forging closer ties with “Asia-Pacific” states.

“This region is one of the centers where the future of the next decades will be decided. Ukraine has its own view on global development, which should be exclusively peaceful within the framework of a rules-based world order,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “Ukraine is ready to contribute to these processes as a security donor and defender of the international order. We will strengthen our diplomatic presence in Asia.”

Modi will visit Ukraine slightly over a month after visiting Russia, where strongman Vladimir Putin offered Modi a warm welcome and awarded him the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, the highest award Russia offers to foreign nationals. New Delhi’s close relationship to Moscow harkens back to the days of the Soviet Union and has since been strengthened through membership in BRICS, a global anti-American alliance originally featuring, in addition to Russia and India, China, Brazil, and South Africa. BRICS welcomed five new members – Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt – in January. BRICS also welcomed Saudi Arabia to join, but the latest reports indicate that Riyadh has not yet completed the bureaucratic work to become a full member.

In Russia, Modi said his conversations with Putin focused on “ways to diversify India-Russia cooperation in sectors such as trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology and innovation.” He appeared to refer to the Ukrainian invasion in remarks to reports, stating, “I believe there is no peace on the battlefield and solutions to the war can only be found through dialogue.”

Modi said after the meeting that Putin’s words made him “filled with hope.”

Zelensky condemned the visit without explicitly naming Modi.

“It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day,” Zelensky said in an outraged message on Twitter.

The Indian government summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in the country in response to Zelensky’s message

Modi and Zelensky have held few conversations since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. They met in person at the G-7 summit in May 2023, and held a conversation a year later in March 2024 in which they allegedly discussed “ways to further strengthen India-Ukraine partnership in various spheres,” according to the Indian External Affairs Ministry.

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