Modi to strengthen India-Ukraine relations in first-ever PM visit

Indian PM’s visit to Ukraine follows a Moscow trip where he rebuked Putin over the war, aiming to boost Kyiv ties

NEW DELHI:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine on Friday to boost ties with Kyiv, weeks after a trip to Moscow in which he rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war with its neighbour.

Announcing the Aug. 23 trip, India's foreign ministry said it would be a "landmark and historic" visit, the first by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago.

Indian analysts said the visit would aim to control damage from Modi's trip last month to Moscow, which coincided with a lethal strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv, embarrassing Modi and drawing criticism from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

New Delhi, however, said it has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine and that the visit builds on continuing interactions between India and Ukraine.

"This is not a zero-sum game ... these are independent, broad ties," Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Indian foreign ministry, told reporters.

"This is an important visit that is expected to catalyze our ties in a whole range of sectors," Lal said, listing economic and business links, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education, pharmaceuticals, defence and culture.

Lal said the conflict in Ukraine would also be discussed, and reiterated that New Delhi was willing to provide any support it could in pursuit of peace.

"Lasting peace can only be achieved through options that are acceptable to both parties. And it can only be a negotiated settlement," he said.

Zelenskiy's office said he and Modi would discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation and that a "number of documents" were expected to be signed.

Modi rebuked Putin in Moscow

During Modi's trip to Moscow on July 8-9, old friends India and Russia sought to boost bilateral trade and cooperation in areas ranging from nuclear energy to medicine.

But the visit coincided with the strike on the hospital in Ukraine's capital, prompting Modi to use emotive language to deliver an implicit rebuke to Putin at their summit.

Modi told Putin the death of innocent children was painful and terrifying, and that Moscow and Kyiv should resolve their conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Modi's visit also coincided with the July 9-10 NATO summit in Washington at which the allies sought to bolster Ukraine and counter Russia.

The United States said it raised concerns with India about its ties with Russia but also said the relationship gives New Delhi the ability to urge Putin to end the war.

Top Indian diplomats have since held regular talks with their Ukrainian counterparts, and Modi met Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy in June. They have also spoken several times by phone since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine has pitched for New Delhi to help rebuild its economy, inviting investment from Indian companies at a January business summit in India.

India has traditionally had close economic and defence ties with Moscow and refrained from criticising Russia over its invasion. It has increased purchases of Russian oil to record levels, saying it must protect its own national interest first.

The prospect of India mediating to help end the war in Ukraine has been raised in diplomatic circles from time to time but New Delhi has appeared cagey, saying only that it is willing to offer any support to resolve the conflict peacefully.