Modi offers to mediate peace in Ukraine during historic Kyiv visit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a historic visit to Ukraine, where he told President Volodymyr Zelensky that he is willing to play a personal role in facilitating peace. Modi’s visit comes after President Zelensky criticized him last month for hugging Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow on a day when Russian strikes caused significant casualties, including an attack on Kyiv’s largest children’s hospital.
During his meeting in Kyiv, the 73-year-old Modi said he had told Putin that conflicts cannot be resolved on the battlefield. “Both sides need to sit together and look for ways to resolve this crisis,” he remarked after his discussions in Kyiv.
Modi arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland, becoming the first international leader to visit since Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia’s Kursk region in early August, seizing more than 1,250 square kilometers of territory, according to the Ukrainian military.
Six weeks earlier, Zelensky expressed his “huge disappointment” after witnessing Modi warmly embrace the Russian leader. However, on Friday, it was Zelensky who was embraced by Modi, though the greeting seemed somewhat awkward. Zelensky appeared to frown, which might have been due to the bright sunlight. Smiles were scarce throughout their interaction, underscoring the diplomatic tightrope Modi is walking in visiting Kyiv after Moscow.
On the day Modi visited Moscow, more than 40 people were killed in Russian strikes, including a direct hit on Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv. It’s likely no coincidence that Modi’s first stop on Friday was at Ukraine’s history museum, where he viewed an exhibition commemorating the 570 Ukrainian children reported killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Both leaders knelt to place soft toys at a makeshift memorial, and Modi later expressed deep sorrow for the young lives “martyred” in the conflict.
At one point, Modi put his arm around Zelensky’s shoulders, an image shared on Modi’s social media with a message expressing condolences to the families of the deceased children. Later, Modi offered to help initiate peace talks, emphasizing that only dialogue and diplomacy could end the fighting.
Modi insisted that India has never been neutral in the conflict. “From the first day, our stance has been for peace,” he said, highlighting his roots in the land of Mahatma Gandhi, whose statue he visited earlier in Kyiv. However, despite Modi’s statements, India has not condemned Russia’s invasion and has, in effect, supported Russia’s war economy by becoming its largest oil importer, surpassing Beijing amid Western sanctions.
During their meeting, Modi and Zelensky also discussed Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russian territory, though details of this conversation were not disclosed. India participated in a Ukraine-led peace summit in Switzerland in June, to which Russia was not invited. Zelensky encouraged Modi to endorse a joint communique that emphasized the territorial integrity of Ukraine and other nations.
Despite the complexities, Zelensky thanked Modi for “supporting our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a sentiment Modi echoed shortly afterward. Both leaders called the visit historic and later released a joint statement pledging to strengthen bilateral relations in defense and trade.
Credit: BBC
