KYIV, Aug 23 (Reuters) – India’s Narendra Modi urged President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace as the two leaders met in wartime Kyiv.
The first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history came at a volatile juncture in the war launched by Russia in February 2022.
Moscow is making slow gains in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv presses a cross-border incursion.
Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Modi said in Kyiv.
Zelenskiy said that “the matter of ending the war and a just peace are the priority for Ukraine”.
‘CERTAIN INFLUENCE’ Modi’s visit to Moscow prompted Zelenskiy to criticise the Indian prime minister when the trip coincided with the missile strike that hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
As he welcomed Modi to the Mariinskyi presidential palace in Kyiv, Zelenskiy embraced him with a frowning expression before they began talks.
Indian refiners that rarely bought Russian oil in the past have emerged as Moscow’s top clients for seaborne crude since Russia poured troops into Ukraine two-and-a-half years ago.
Kiev, August 23 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine was urged by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet with President Vladimir Putin in order to put an end to the conflict in his country. Modi also pledged to be a friend to Zelenskiy and help bring about peace.
A turbulent point in the war that Russia began in February 2022 coincided with the first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history. Kiev is pushing for a cross-border incursion while Moscow is making gradual gains in eastern Ukraine.
The image was strikingly similar to that of the Indian leader’s visit to Moscow last month, when he embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin and appealed for peace, infuriating Ukraine, where the same day a Russian missile strike destroyed a children’s hospital.
“Only discourse and diplomacy will lead to a resolution. And we ought to start heading in that direction right away. “To find a way out of this crisis, both sides should get together,” Modi stated in Kiev.
Assuring you that India is prepared to actively participate in any efforts to promote peace is my goal. As a friend, I want to reassure you that if I can personally help with this, I will do so,” he said.
What Kyiv thought of his remarks and whether they were part of a diplomatic push behind closed doors with the United States, a close ally of Ukraine, holding its presidential election in November remained unclear at first.
“It is important to us that India remains committed to international law and supports our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zelenskiy stated later on Friday in his regular address to the nation following the conclusion of the visit.
The fact that Modi had started the visit by remembering the children who lost their lives in the July hospital strike was also noted by the speaker.
While openly denouncing the deaths of innocent people in the war, India—which has long maintained close defense and economic ties to Moscow—has also reinforced its economic ties with the Russian capital.
In their statements during the meeting, where Zelenskiy was not given a chance to answer to the call for dialogue and Modi spoke last, both leaders referred to Modi’s visit as “historic.”.
“For Ukraine, the matter of ending the war and a just peace is the priority,” Zelenskiy declared.
Throughout the war, Ukraine has made it clear that it wants to end on its terms, not Russia’s. In an effort to promote its vision of peace and include Russian representatives, Ukraine has been pushing for the holding of a second international summit later this year.
Russia was conspicuously absent from the first summit, which took place in June in Switzerland. Numerous delegations attended, including one from India, but not from China, which is the second-largest economy in the world. India has yet to sign the communiqué from the summit, despite Zelenskiy’s persistent pleas.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that negotiations were not possible following Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region on August 1. 6. .
The top commander of Kyiv has bragged about the attack’s capture of nearly 100 settlements, which military observers interpret as an effort to draw Russian forces away from eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s forces are gaining ground.
“CERTAIN INFLUENCE”.
Zelenskiy criticized Modi for his visit to Moscow, pointing out that the visit fell on the same day as a missile strike on a children’s hospital in Kiev.
Before they started talking, Zelenskiy gave Modi a scowling hug as he welcomed him to the Mariinskyi presidential palace in Kyiv. Reiterating his condolences, Modi posted in Ukrainian regarding the missile strike on X.
“Young children are especially vulnerable to the devastating effects of conflict. “My condolences to the families of the children who have passed away. May they find the fortitude to bear their loss,” the post said.
Aides in Zelenskiy’s office, Mykhailo Podolyak, told Reuters in the lead-up to the visit that New Delhi “really has a certain influence” over Moscow, making it noteworthy.
“We must effectively establish relations with these countries and explain to them why ending the war is the right thing to do and why it serves their interests as well,” he stated.
India’s economic connections have grown as a result of the sanctions the West has placed on Russia and the suspension of trade with it due to the invasion.
Since Russia began sending troops into Ukraine two and a half years ago, Indian refiners—who had previously purchased Russian oil infrequently—have become Moscow’s main customers for seaborne crude. India imports more than two-fifths of its oil from Russia.
Additional reporting was completed in New Delhi by YP Rajesh, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, and Sudipto Ganguly; editing was done in London by Dmitry Zhdannikov, Yuliia Dysa, and Andrew Heavens; editing was done by Timothy Heritage, Andrew Heavens, Philippa Fletcher, and Mark Heinrich.
