Narendra Modi visits Kyiv – and hugs Volodymyr Selenskyj

Only weeks after his controversial embrace with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The 73-year-old also embraced him during the first visit by an Indian head of government to independent Ukraine.

At the meeting, he emphasized his country’s commitment to peace. “We have taken the same side and we are firmly for peace.” Modi also assured Ukraine of humanitarian aid.

Officially, the world’s most populous country is neutral towards the war. It does not support Western sanctions against Moscow and regularly calls for a conflict resolution through dialogue, but has not yet made any concrete proposals.

Narendra Modi disturbed with Putin’s warming

The 73-year-old Modi presents himself as a peace mediator between Moscow and Kiev and has announced that he wants to talk to Zelensky about a “peaceful solution” to the war that has been going on for more than two and a half years. India will always stand by Ukraine’s side with regard to humanitarian aid and will support it “beyond the usual level”.

Modi had only visited Moscow in July – for the first time since the start of the war of aggression. The trip took place shortly after his re-election as head of government, which Russian media interpreted at the time as a sign of appreciation for relations with Russia. Images of the meeting, at which Modi and Putin embraced, went around the world and had a disturbing effect in many Western countries. Zelenskyj condemned Modi’s closeness to the Kremlin chief at the time. India, in turn, rejected the criticism. At the same time, however, Ukraine is also hoping for support from India because it is an important voice in global politics.

During a visit to neighboring Poland, the Indian Prime Minister had already called for negotiations in the war between Russia and Ukraine and declared that India firmly believes “that no problem can be solved on a battlefield.” His country supports “dialogue and diplomacy,” Modi said on Thursday during a joint appearance with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.

It is doubtful whether Modi would actually be considered a successful mediator: India has so far avoided explicitly condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine. The country has maintained close relations with the Kremlin since the Cold War. Russia is still one of India’s most important arms suppliers. During the war, India also became one of the largest buyers of cheap Russian oil.

India affected by war in Ukraine

In addition, a diplomatic rapprochement between Moscow and Kyiv appears more difficult than ever in view of a Ukrainian offensive since August 6 in the western Russian region of Kursk and a Russian advance in eastern Ukraine.

According to Kiev, the aim of its invasion of the Kursk region is to force Moscow to negotiate “fairly”. Up until then, there had been no signs of serious talks on ending the war. However, the Kremlin declared earlier this week that the Ukrainian offensive had made negotiations impossible.

While Modi was in Kyiv, Ukraine said two people had been killed in a Russian attack in the northeastern region of Sumy. Two others were recovered dead from the rubble in the Kharkiv region after an attack the previous day. According to the UN, there have been more than 10,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine since the Russian attack in February 2022, but the actual number is likely higher.

India is also reportedly directly affected by the war in Ukraine. According to media reports, several Indian citizens have already been killed fighting for Russia. Earlier this year, India called on the Kremlin to release some of its citizens who had volunteered for unskilled jobs in the Russian army.