KYIV, Aug 23:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a historic visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv under the shadow of war to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in what is being seen as a reflection of India’s concerns over the continuing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
It is the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister after Ukraine became independent in 1991, and his trip comes amid Kyiv’s fresh military offensive in Russia’s western Kursk region.
On his arrival following a nearly 10-hour train journey from Poland, Modi was accorded a warm welcome by members of the Indian community at the Hyatt Hotel.
Soon after, Modi visited the multimedia Martyrologist exposition on children at the National Museum of History in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy warmly hugged and shook hands with Modi at the exposition.
The prime minister was deeply touched by the poignant exposition set up in memory of children who have lost their lives in the conflict, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Modi expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of young lives and as a mark of respect placed a toy in their memory, it said.
The prime minister’s visit to Kyiv is expected to last for around seven hours.
Ahead of his talks with Zelenskyy, Modi also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue located in the ‘Oasis of Peace’ park in Kyiv.
Modi underscored the timeless relevance of Gandhi’s message of peace in building a harmonious society and noted that the path shown by him offered solutions to present-day global challenges, the MEA said.
“Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome,” Modi said on ‘X’ shortly after reaching the Ukrainian capital.
Modi is holding both one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Zelenskyy with a focus on bringing peace and stability to Ukraine and the larger region.
The prime minister’s visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow and it is seen as a balancing act as the prime minister’s trip to Russia triggered anguish among the Western countries.
Following talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Modi said on Thursday that the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of “deep concern” and that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the way forward to restore peace.
“This is India’s firm belief
Modi pays historic
that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. In any crisis, the loss of lives of innocent people has become the biggest challenge for the whole of humanity,” he said.
“We support dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability. For this, India, along with its friendly countries, is ready to provide all possible support,” he said in a media statement.
Modi held talks with Zelenskyy in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy’s Apulia.
In the meeting, Modi conveyed to the Ukrainian President that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through “dialogue and diplomacy”.
Modi also told Zelenskyy that India believes in a “human-centric” approach to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
In the meeting, the Ukrainian president invited the Prime Minister to visit Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy signed several documents during the former’s visit to Kyiv in sectors including culture”>agriculture, food industry, medical products regulation and cultural cooperation.
The two leaders witnessed the signing of four agreements. These include the Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Food Industry; MoU on Cooperation in the field of Medical Products Regulation; MoU on Indian Humanitarian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects; and Programme for Cultural Cooperation for 2024-2028, a press release by Ministry of External Affairs said.
Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Ukraine on cooperation in the fields of Agriculture and Food Industry. The objective of this agreement involves expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of culture”>agriculture and food industry by promoting ties in areas of information exchange, joint scientific research, exchange of experience, cooperation in culture”>agriculture research, creation of joint working groups etc.
MoU between Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control on cooperation in the field of Medical Products regulation with the objective of envisaging cooperation on medical products including regulation, improvement of safety and quality aspects, mainly through information exchange, capacity building, workshops, training, and exchange of visits, the MEA said.
MoU between the Government of the Republic of India and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine regarding Indian Humanitarian Grant Assistance for the implementation of high Impact Community Development Projects. Objective: This MoU creates the framework for India to provide grant assistance for community development projects in Ukraine. Projects under the HICDP will be undertaken in partnership with the Government of Ukraine for the benefit of the people of Ukraine, according to the press release by MEA.
Programme of Cultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine for the years 2024-2028 which aims to strengthen cultural cooperation between India and Ukraine including the promotion of cultural exchanges and cooperation in the fields of theatre, music, fine arts, literature, library, and museum affairs as well as protection and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
