Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Six weeks after his high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a warm hug, as soon as he alighted from a special train from Poland after a 7-hour journey, amid Kyiv’s fresh military offensive into the Russian territory.
The two leaders proceeded to honor the memory of children at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv ahead of their bilateral and delegation-level talks focusing on the ongoing conflict, the media reported.
PM Modi is expected to share perspectives with President Zelenskyy on a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Because of the highly sensitive nature of his short visit, details of PM Modi’s schedule or itinerary were not immediately available, the media reported.
This was the first visit by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the country became independent of the then-Soviet Union in 1991.
Walking a tightrope, India hopes to strike a delicate balance in the war-torn region that has, over the last 900-plus days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, witnessed widespread bloodshed, wanton destruction, as it left millions homeless and filled refugees in neighboring countries, including Poland.
PM Modi arrived in Kyiv from Poland via a special and high-security “Rail Force One” train and was welcomed by officials and members of the Indian diaspora in Ukraine at the station. “Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
His Kyiv visit comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow. The US and some of its Western allies criticized the trip even as India maintains its stance of calling for a peaceful resolution through talks since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.
The PM is likely to hold both one-on-one and delegation-level talks with President Zelenskyy with a focus on ways to find a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has badly impacted the world.
Paying floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at “Oasis of Peace Park” in Kyiv on Friday, he underscored the relevance of the Indian leader’s eternal message of peace in building a harmonious society.
“Paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Kyiv. The ideals of Bapu are universal and give hope to millions. May we all follow the path he showed to humanity,” Modi wrote on X.
“Remembering the Mahatma’s timeless message of peace. PM @narendramodi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in the ‘Oasis of Peace’ park in Kyiv. The PM underscored the relevance of Mahatma’s eternal message of peace in building a harmonious society and finding solutions to present-day global challenges,” Randhir Jaiswal, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson, posted on X.
Before leaving New Delhi for his scheduled visits, PM Modi said: “I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on 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 added.
He is likely to return to New Delhi on Saturday.