Narendra Modi is reportedly planning a trip to Kiev in late August
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to visit Ukraine in August, according to reports from diplomatic sources in New Delhi.
Although Modi has met with Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of G7 meetings in Italy and Japan, he has not visited Kiev since the start of hostilities between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022.
Indian media sources suggest the visit is expected around August 23. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and national security advisor Ajit Doval engaged in telephone conversations with their Ukrainian counterparts, Dmitry Kuleba and Andrey Yermak.
During his meeting with Zelensky in Italy last month, Modi reiterated that “India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution,” according to a government statement.
Earlier this month, Modi met with President Vladimir Putin. The Indian prime minister subsequently stated that “very interesting ideas” and “completely new views” emerged from their talks and that speaking with the Russian president instilled hope in him.
“It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow,” Zelensky wrote on social media about the Modi-Putin meeting.
India summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in New Delhi to the Foreign Ministry for an explanation regarding Zelensky’s comments.
The US expressed “frustration” with the “terrible” optics of Modi’s Moscow visit, as it undermined American efforts to portray Russia as isolated on the world stage.
India has a longstanding relationship with Russia, particularly in the realm of defense cooperation. Last year, the volume of trade between the two nations surged to $65 billion, largely driven by India’s increased purchases of Russian oil and coal. This trade volume is expected to reach $100 billion by 2030.
New Delhi is also a founding member of BRICS. Modi is scheduled to travel to Russia again in October, to attend the organization’s summit in Kazan.