Today (August 23) the Prime Minister has gone to Kiev to meet the President of Ukraine Narendra Modiassured Volodymyr Zelensky that India was ready to play an active role in any peace effort.
“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any effort for peace. I want to assure you that if I can do something about it personally, I will definitely do it as a friend,” Modi said.
In a joint statement to reporters, Prime Minister Modi said that Ukraine has come with a message of peace and an initial opportunity for talks between Russia and Ukraine. “The path to a solution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. We should not waste time and move in that direction. Both sides should sit together and find a solution to get out of this crisis,” Modi said.
Thanking the President of Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi said in a post on the X site, “My visit to Ukraine was historic. I came to this great nation with the intention of deepening India-Ukraine friendship. I had constructive talks with President Zelensky. India strongly believes that peace should always prevail. I thank the government and people of Ukraine for their hospitality,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit comes a month and a half after Zelensky criticized his trip to Moscow in July when he met Russian President Putin on the day Russian missiles struck across Ukraine, killing scores of people.
Zelensky described the meeting as “a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts.”
‘Milestone Arrival’
Speaking on the visit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s stand to facilitate all necessary steps for the early return of peace in the region.
This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since the two countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago.
“Most of the discussions between PM Modi and President Zelensky are related to the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi reiterated that India is ready to contribute in all ways to bring peace back soon,” Jaishankar said.
“India and the Prime Minister have taken several public positions on this matter… Two years ago, the Prime Minister publicly said that this is not an era of war and underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy. The Prime Minister recently emphasized that a solution will not come from the battlefield,” Jaishankar said.
Describing Prime Minister Modi’s visit as an important visit, Jaishankar said it was the first time an Indian Prime Minister had visited Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Ukraine in 1992. “The Prime Minister arrived in the morning by a special train and was received at the Kiev railway station by the First Deputy Foreign Minister… In the discussion, a significant part of which was devoted to our bilateral relations. Sectors like trade, economy, defence, medicine, agriculture, education were discussed,” said Jaishankar.
The Ministry of External Affairs also said that Prime Minister Modi has invited the President of Ukraine to visit India.
