Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Zelensky embraced his Indian counterpart Modi before talks began on Friday at the presidential Mariyinsky Palace, saying the Indian leader’s visit to Ukraine was “very friendly” and “historic.”
The Indian prime minister is expected to discuss economic ties, defence cooperation, science and technology, while also touching on the controversial issue of reaching a settlement to end the war with Russia.
The talks began with the two leaders visiting a memorial to the hundreds of Ukrainian children killed during more than two years of war.
The Ukrainian president said in a television interview that he and Modi honored “the memory of children whose lives were lost due to Russian aggression.”
Modi, who told Zelensky that killing children in conflicts was unacceptable, said he came to Ukraine with a message of peace.
“We walked away from the war with full conviction. This does not mean that we were indifferent,” he told reporters as he sat next to Zelensky.
“We have not been neutral since day one, we have taken sides, and we stand firmly for peace,” he added.
Modi also pledged that his country would provide humanitarian support to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. “India will always stand by you and will do its utmost to support you,” he said.
He stressed his respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, reiterating India’s position, which it had set out before his visit, that the conflict could only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
But it is unclear whether the Indian leader, who many in Ukraine see as too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, can be an effective dealmaker.
Reporting from Kiev, Al Jazeera’s Alex Gatopoulos said India would have to “do the heavy lifting” between the West and Russia.
“India is a Russian satellite state, and the vast majority of its military equipment is Russian-made, so India cannot afford Russia’s isolation either,” he added.
India is the world’s largest buyer of Russian arms and has sought to take advantage of cheaper Russian oil as the United States and European countries seek to limit Russia’s energy sector’s access to the global market through sanctions.
Modi’s meeting with Zelensky comes a month and a half after he visited Moscow for talks with Putin, a visit that coincided with Russian missile attacks on Ukraine that hit a children’s hospital, which the Indian leader implicitly criticized during the bilateral summit.
Modi and Putin agreed to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, increase investments, remove non-tariff trade barriers, and use national currencies to circumvent sanctions.
The meeting drew strong criticism from Zelensky, who said it was “a great disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embrace the world’s most bloodthirsty criminal in Moscow on such a day.”
Modi’s visit to Moscow was aimed at presenting himself as a mediator, Gatopoulos said from Al Jazeera.
“We will say in the coming days whether it will succeed or not,” he said.
“certain effect”
The visit comes at a crucial stage in the war, after Ukrainian forces launched a lightning offensive on Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, while Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said Friday it had destroyed 14 of 16 Russian drones overnight. Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant in what it called an act of “nuclear terrorism.”
India avoided explicitly condemning the Russian invasion in 2022, abstaining from voting on UN resolutions criticizing Russia and instead urging the two sides to resolve their differences through direct dialogue.
However, India has good relations with both Russia and the West, Ukraine’s main backer, and some analysts believe Modi could play a role in pushing the two sides toward talks.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Modi’s visit to Kyiv was important because India “really has a certain influence” on Russia.
Peace Summit
Ukraine said it hopes to hold a second international summit later this year to promote its vision for peace and include representatives from Russia.
The first summit, held in Switzerland last June, which excluded Russia, attracted several delegations, including one from India, but not from China.
Kiev-based political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said he did not expect any decisive proposals to end the war during Modi’s trip, which he visited Poland on Thursday.
He said that for there to be an attempt at negotiations, the military situation must stabilize and presidential elections must be held in the United States, a close ally of Ukraine.
He said the visit was important for India to show that it was “not on Russia’s side” and that Kiev wanted to normalise relations after Modi’s visit to Moscow.