Kyiv: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally arrived in Kyiv, becoming the first Indian leader ever to visit the country, as he is slated to hold high-stakes talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to balance India's position in the Russia-Ukraine war. This is the first such high-level visit from India since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and comes over a month after Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin, a visit criticised by Zelenskyy.
Prime Minister Modi arrived at Kyiv at 7:30 am (local time) and interacted with the Indian community. Instead of taking a flight, he undertook a 10-hour journey via Train Force One, a specially designed high-security train that provides a comfortable journey through Kyiv, featuring luxurious amenities and executive-level work and relaxation facilities. The war has forced Kyiv to close its airspace, so the train was considered the safest option to travel.
"Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome," he wrote on X. The PM's engagements in Ukraine will touch upon a range of aspects of bilateral ties including political, trade, economic, investments, education, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian assistance and others. India will seek to re-assert its position of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.
Why PM Modi's visit to Ukraine is significant?
Most eyes would be on PM Modi's visit to Kyiv, which comes over a month after his trip to arch-nemesis Russia, where both sides sought to boost bilateral trade and cooperation in areas ranging from nuclear energy to medicine. Modi would become the first Indian leader ever to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established in 1992 to renew his position that only dialogue and diplomacy would resolve the conflict.
His talks with Zelenskyy, with the ongoing conflict at the top of the agenda, will be closely watched by the US and Russia as PM Modi has hinted at a possible Indian role for an early resolution of the conflict. The visit also makes PM Modi one of the few leaders of the world who have visited both Russia and Ukraine over two years since the war broke out.
"The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a deep concern for all of us. India firmly believes that no conflict can be resolved on the battlefield. The loss of innocent lives in any crisis has become the greatest challenge for all of humanity. We support dialogue and diplomacy for the swift restoration of peace and stability. For this, India is ready to provide all possible cooperation in conjunction with its friendly countries." he said at a press conference in Warsaw alongside Polish PM Donald Tusk.
By visiting Poland and Ukraine, PM Modi is also hinting at expanding India's relations with Europe. PM Modi had earlier said in Poland that India's policy now is to maintain closer relations with all countries as part of its push to become "Vishwabandhu", disentangling New Delhi from its old relations with Russia and forging closer ties with European nations.
Will India act as peacemaker in Russia-Ukraine war?
Over the last few years, India has resisted pressure from the West to halt oil purchases from its traditional partner Russia. Despite its strong and age-old relations with Russia, India has maintained its diplomatic tightrope walk by providing several consignments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since March 2022 and expressing concerns over threats of nuclear war issued by Russian leaders.
However, PM Modi is unlikely to use this visit to seek a role for India as a peacemaker in the conflict, which some had speculated it would do at the onset of the war given New Delhi’s ties to Russia and emerging stature globally. “Indian behaviour… has been to try to stay out of resolving it, and to only occasionally comment against further aggression," said Derek Grossman, an Indo-Pacific analyst at the RAND Corporation.
The trip is likely to be well-received in the US and other Western countries that had been critical of PM Modi's meeting with Putin in July. For PM Modi, this trip is an opportunity “to engage Zelenskyy and secure Indian interests there, push back against Russian overreach and placate the West. Meanwhile, the Kremlin will be observing PM Modi’s visit, “but short of any statements that are highly critical of Russia, it is unlikely to be concerned,” said Chietigj Bajpaee, who researches South Asia at the Chatham House think tank.
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