Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan’s Hiroshima, in what was their first in-person meeting since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Until now, they have only spoken virtually, the media reported on Saturday.
The Prime Minister’s Office shared photographs of the meeting, in which India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present.
PM Modi left for the Japanese city on Friday to attend three sessions at the G-7 Summit as part of his three-nation tour that will also take him to Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is attending the Summit following an invitation by Japan, the current chair of the powerful grouping of the world’s seven largest economies.
Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova visited New Delhi in April in what was the first high-level trip to India from Ukraine after the conflict began in the Eastern European country last year.
During her visit, she handed over a letter–from President Zelensky to PM Modi–to Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi.
PM Modi has maintained that the Russia-Ukraine conflict can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and that “India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.”
Earlier, in an interview with the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, responding to a query about his view on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and how India responds to negative reactions regarding its abstention from voting on UN resolutions and increased oil imports from Russia, PM Modi said India advocates for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve disputes and prioritize the well-being of people affected by rising costs of essentials.
“India abstained from the UN General Assembly resolutions to condemn the invasion but remains committed to upholding the UN Charter, international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. India supports a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis and is ready to contribute constructively within the UN and beyond,” PM Modi said.
In a phone conversation with President Zelensky on October 4 last year, PM Modi said there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts. The PM had also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin several times since the start of the war.
The Ukrainian leader, who made a surprise visit to an Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday, is looking to rally the international community to increase sanctions on Russia and pledge further support for Ukraine, according to a report in Al Jazeera.
President Zelenskyy’s visit to Japan comes a day after President Joe Biden informed the G-7 leaders in Hiroshima that the US would support the joint allied training of Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter jets, including the F-16. Once the training gets underway, it would be decided when and how many aircraft would be delivered and who in the coalition would provide them.