PM Modi is the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Ukraine since it got independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
A sombre Prime Minister Narendra Modi met an equally stoic Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv during his brief but historic visit to Ukraine on Friday.
The two leaders shook hands before PM Modi engulfed the Ukrainian President in a hug. As the duo toured the war-torn country's Martyrologist Exposition, the Indian leader's hand remained firmly on Zelenskyy's shoulder -- a symbolic gesture of India's solidarity with Ukraine.
The short visit to Kyiv is seen by many Indian analysts as an attempt to control the damage from the Moscow trip and also a strategic balancing act at a time New Delhi has grown closer to the West, particularly Washington.
The Prime Minister was welcomed with the chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ by the Indian diaspora after his arrival in Kyiv.
The Prime Minister will meet President Zelenskyy soon.
Modi arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine on Friday, after completing his two-day visit to Poland. He arrived in Ukraine on a historic visit to the war-torn country at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Before he embarked on his two-nation visit, PM Modi, referring to the conflict in Ukraine, said as a "friend and partner", India hopes for an early return of peace and stability in the region.
"I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," he said.
The trip follows Modi's July 8-9 visit to Moscow which drew criticism from the U.S. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as it coincided with a lethal Russian strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv.
Modi condemned the killing of innocent children in an implicit rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
India remains heavily reliant on the Kremlin for its military equipment and has ramped up purchases of discounted Russian crude oil, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nation a major financial lifeline as it faces isolation from the West.
“The upcoming visit of Prime Minister Modi to Ukraine will provide an opportunity to hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations,” the foreign ministry’s secretary for the West, Tanmaya Lal, said in a briefing.
The secretary reiterated that India has “maintained a very clear and consistent position that diplomacy and dialogue can resolve this conflict.” She said that “lasting peace” can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement.
When Modi met Vlaidmir Putin in Moscow recently, Zelenskyy had reacted sharply to convivial photos of the Prime Minister and Russian President Putin, terming their hug upon meeting "a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts".
After arriving in Kyiv, PM Modi paid floral tributes at a Mahatma Gandhi statue.
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