New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, embarked on a two-nation visit, where he will be visiting Poland and Ukraine. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister will first visit Poland-- from August 21 to 22-- and then march to Kyiv on August 23. Notably, this will be the Prime Minister's first visit to Poland after a gap of 45 years. Earlier in 1979, the then PM Morarji Desai had visited Warsaw.
The year 2024 celebrates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland. During his visit, PM Modi will meet with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, and will also engage with Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Indian community. In Warsaw, the Polish capital, PM Modi will receive a ceremonial welcome and will have the opportunity to interact with business leaders and prominent ecologists.
WATCH VIDEO: PM Modi emplanes for Poland
PM Modi's message to Ukraine
Before leaving the country, PM Modi said he is looking forward to the opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. "Today, I am embarking on an Official visit to the Republic of Poland and Ukraine. I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and 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," he said shortly before departing to the European nation.
PM Modi's Poland visit agenda
The MEA further recalled the age-old ties between India and Poland highlighting how Poland assisted India in evacuating its students from Ukraine after conflict broke out in 2022. It also spoke about the episode from the 1940s when over 6000 Polish women and children were given refuge in princely states: Jamnagar and Kolhapur. "Indian community in Poland estimated at around 25,000. This includes around 5,000 students. The government and people of Poland had offered valuable assistance during 'Operation Ganga' for the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine. More than 4,000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022," External Affairs Ministry's secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal informed on Monday.
Being asked about agreements in defence cooperation between the two nations, the MEA said, "The defence cooperation goes back a long time. We have an agreement on defence cooperation that was signed in 2003. This provides for consultations and a joint working format. India recently reopened the defence wing at the embassy in Warsaw.
PM Modi's visit to Ukraine
Besides, the MEA dubbed his upcoming Ukraine trip as a "landmark and historic" visit, amid the fact he is the first prime minister to visit Kyiv since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries over 30 years back. The prime minister will travel to Kyiv from Poland on a train that will take around 10 hours. The return trip will also be of the same duration, people familiar with the matter said. A number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden also travelled to Kyiv by train from the Polish train station near the Ukrainian border.
Why is PM Modi's Ukraine visit significant?
The prime minister’s visit to Ukraine is taking place amid Kyiv’s fresh military offensive into Russian territory. PM Modi’s visit to Kyiv comes weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow that triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies. “India has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine and these partnerships stand on their own,” Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the MEA said at a media briefing.
The visit will build on continuing engagement between India and Ukraine, he said.
“I would like to say that this is not a zero-sum game. The prime minister had also travelled to Russia. Many ideas were discussed,” Lal said. “The prime minister also met President Zelenskyy on a couple of occasions in the last one year or so and they will now be meeting again in Ukraine,” he said. “I would like to say that these are independent broad ties and of course the ongoing conflict will form part of the discussions,” he added.
Will PM Modi urge Zelenskyy for peace talks?
Asked about the conflict in Ukraine, Lal said: “India is willing to provide all possible support and contribution required to help find peaceful solutions to this complex issue.” At the same time, he declined to anticipate or prejudge the outcome of the talks between PM Modi and Zelenskyy. “India has maintained a very clear and consistent position that diplomacy and dialogue can resolve this conflict which can lead to enduring peace,” Lal said.
“So dialogue is absolutely essential. Lasting peace can only be achieved through options that are acceptable to both parties and it can only be a negotiated settlement. India continues to engage with all stakeholders,” he said.
Lal also noted that India has consistently been advocating for diplomacy and dialogue to reach a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine conflict. “Prime Minister Modi said this is not the time for war. Solutions cannot be found on the battlefield. This is a clear and consistent position that India has taken and we believe that a vast majority of countries share this view,” Lal said.
India's balancing act
On India’s ties with Ukraine, he said the relationship is “continuous and long-standing”. “It is a landmark and historic visit since this will be the first time that an Indian prime minister will be visiting Ukraine in more than 30 years since the diplomatic relations were established between the two countries,” Lal said.
He said Modi-Zelenskyy talks are expected to focus on the entire gamut of India-Ukraine ties including in areas of agriculture, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, health and education, defence, and people-to-people ties.
Asked whether India is interested in the reconstruction of Ukraine, Lal said New Delhi is willing to provide all support and contribution that may be required not only to find a peaceful solution to the conflict but also in the recovery process.
PM Modi held talks with Zelenskyy in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy’s Apulia. In the meeting, PM Modi conveyed to the Ukranian president that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through “dialogue and diplomacy”. PM Modi also told Zelenskyy that India believes in a “human-centric” approach to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. In the meeting, the Ukranian president invited the prime minister to visit Kyiv.
(With inputs from agencies)
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