Narendra Modi to visit Ukraine on August 23, first visit by an Indian PM since bilateral ties began | India News

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine on August 23, his first visit since the country’s war with Russia. Modi’s visit to Kyiv will be the first by an Indian PM since bilateral relations began over 30 years ago.
Before Kyiv, PM Modi will be in Poland on August 21-22. He is expected to take a train from Poland to Kyiv. The PM’s trip to Poland is also historic as it is the first such trip by an Indian PM to the country in 45 years.
Tanmaya Lal, secretary west of ministry of external affairs (MEA), said: “PM Narendra Modi will undertake an official visit to Ukraine later this week on Friday, August 23, on the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.This is also a landmark and a historic visit since this will be the first time an Indian PM will be visiting Ukraine in more than 30 years since we established our diplomatic relations. This visit will build upon the recent high-level interactions between the leaders.”

The MEA further said that India has always been advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve conflict in Ukraine. “India has maintained a very clear and consistent position that diplomacy and dialogue can resolve this conflict and which can lead to enduring peace, 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. on our part, India continues to engage with all stakeholders,” he said.
“Prime Minister Modi has had conversations with leaders of both Russia and Ukraine as you know and the PM also visited Russia, recently. India is willing to provide all possible support and contribution required to help find peaceful solutions to this complex issue and at this stage, it is not for us to anticipate or prejudge what the outcome of these discussions will be between the leaders of India and Ukraine,” Lal added.

The Office of the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also issued a statement: “On August 23, the National Flag Day of Ukraine, PM Modi will pay an official visit to Ukraine. This is the first visit of an Indian PM to Ukraine in the history of our bilateral relations. During the visit, in particular, the talks with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be held to discuss issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. It is also expected that a number of documents between Ukraine and India will be signed.”
The visit comes following criticism from Kyiv over PM Modi’s embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent visit. The visit to Poland and Ukraine signals PM Modi’s attempt to navigate India’s longstanding ties with Moscow alongside cultivating closer relations with Western nations.
The trip also comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned PM Modi for hugging Putin during his visit to Moscow in July, which happened just after a Russian attack on several Ukrainian cities caused significant casualties and damage.

Modi’s government has consistently called for peaceful dialogue to resolve the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, avoiding direct condemnation of Russia’s actions. India and Russia share historical ties dating back to the Cold War, a period during which the Kremlin emerged as a major arms supplier to India.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, Russia has emerged as a critical supplier of discounted crude oil to India. This has bolstered economic ties, helping India save billions of dollars while also aiding Russia economically despite Western sanctions.
Western countries have encouraged India to distance itself from Russia while seeking to strengthen their own relations with New Delhi. India is part of the Quad grouping with the United States, Japan, and Australia, which serves as a counterbalance to China’s increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
On the significance of PM Modi’s visit to Poland, Chargé d’affaires of Poland to India Sebastian Domżalski said: “I am very happy about PM Modi’s visit to Poland. This is the first visit of the Indian PM to our country since 1979…This is a very significant visit of PM Modi and we are celebrating 70 years of India-Poland diplomatic relations…We will be looking forward to finding new avenues of cooperation…There will be three priority areas. Technology will be a very important priority area. Both countries are looking forward to upgrading their economies…Poland is one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union…Security will also be high on the agenda, given the situation in Europe and the global tensions that we are observing…The defence will also be discussed”