Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a brief visit that many in Ukraine hope will pave the way for an Indian role in peace mediation.
Officials in India and Ukraine said the visit was focused on boosting economic ties and co-operation in defence, science and technology, but analysts said it could also be an attempt by Mr Modi to strike a more neutral stance after what has been seen as a lean towards Russia.
The meeting started with both leaders visiting a memorial commemorating hundreds of Ukrainian children who have been killed over more than two years of war. Mr Zelensky posted a video showing the two men hugging each other after shaking hands.
“Conflict is particularly devastating for young children,” Mr Modi wrote on X. “My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief.”
They laid teddy bears at the memorial at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War before observing a moment of silence.
Ukrainian media reported that Mr Modi met representatives of the Indian diaspora after arriving. The crowd gathered around the Indian prime minister cheering “Modi, Modi, Modi”.
He also paid tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi Monument in Kyiv.
The chief of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, called Mr Modi’s visit “historic” and emphasised Ukraine’s expectation that India could play a role in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine with a “just peace.”
“We respect India as a very big democracy in the world and a powerful country,” Mr Yermak said in an interview with India Today. “But now it’s necessary to say who is the aggressor, who is the victim.”
President @ZelenskyyUa and I paid homage at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv.
Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief. pic.twitter.com/VQH1tun5ok
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2024
Before arriving in Ukraine, Mr Modi called for diplomatic efforts to end the war during a visit to Poland on Thursday, pledging India’s support and saying no conflict can be solved on a battlefield.
His arrival came a month and a half after Mr Zelensky criticised his visit to Moscow in July, when he met President Vladimir Putin on the day Russian missiles struck across Ukraine, killing scores of people.
Mr Zelensky described that meeting as a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts”, and criticised Mr Modi for hugging Mr Putin during the meeting.
India has avoided condemning Russia’s invasion and has urged Moscow and Kyiv to resolve the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
Mr Modi’s visit is the first by an Indian premier to Ukraine since the two countries established diplomatic relations more than 30 years ago.
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