Warsaw: Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his successful two-day state visit to Poland and departed for Ukraine via Train Force One on Thursday. As part of his visit, India and Poland elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and agreed to expand cooperation in multiple sectors.
PM Modi is embarking on another historic visit to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine after establishing diplomatic ties in 1992. His visit comes at a crucial time as India's global policy faces a trial by fire due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
He was seen shaking hands with Polish officials as he emplaned for Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport from Warsaw. He will undertake a 20-hour journey from the Polish border aboard the Train Force One, a luxury train from Poland. PM Modi will embark on the train journey for his roughly seven-hour-long visit to the Ukrainian capital, where he will meet the top leadership of the embattled country to deepen defence cooperation.
The Train Force One is a specially designed high-security train that provides a comfortable journey through Kyiv, featuring luxurious amenities and executive-level work and relaxation facilities. It boasts wood-panelled cabins equipped for both work and leisure, including a spacious table for meetings, a plush sofa, a wall-mounted TV, and comfortable sleeping arrangements.
Why is PM Modi travelling to Ukraine?
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.
PM Modi will visit Kyiv after an invitation by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who termed his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin "a huge disappointment". The PM's engagements will touch 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.
PM Modi’s Moscow visit and the India-Russia relationship is expected to be a “strong undertone” to his Ukraine trip as India has offered to assist in peace efforts. 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.
PM Modi's offer of assistance to Ukraine, Gaza
On Thursday, the PM in Poland expressed concern over the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia (Middle East), and said there are no solutions to be found on the battlefield. He said the loss of innocent lives is a big challenge for humanity and re-asserted his stance of dialogue and diplomacy to help end the conflicts in collaboration with like-minded countries.
"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.
Tusk said he welcomed the former's comments and that Modi's visit to Ukraine would be "historic". "I am very glad that the PM (Modi) confirmed readiness to engage personally in a peaceful, just and quick end to the war (in Ukraine). We are certain that India can play a very important and positive role here. This declaration is of great significance, especially as the Prime Minister will soon visit Kyiv. We are certain that this visit will be historic as well," he said in the press meet.
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