 "PM Modi repeats India stance, bats for diplomacy to end Russia-Ukraine war")
During his brief yet historic visit to Ukraine on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinskyi Palace, and reiterated India's stand that Moscow and Kyiv need to engage with each other to find a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
PM Modi was accompanied by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and other officials. Upon his arrival at the palace, PM Modi warmly embraced President Zelenskyy.
PM Modi and President Zelenskyy first engaged in a restricted meeting to address critical issues. This was followed by high-level delegation discussions focusing on bilateral cooperation.
During these meetings, important documents were exchanged to strengthen collaboration between India and Ukraine and to formalise agreements.
Addressing the media in Kyiv, Jaishankar said that PM Modi's message on the Russia-Ukraine war was that India's view is that the two sides "need to engage with each other to find a solution". This is in line with India's long-held position that a negotiated settlement is necessary to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
India has not condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, instead advocating for the resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
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PM Modi's visit to Ukraine was in response to an invitation from the Ukrainian leader and comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow, where he held extensive discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In Kyiv, Jaishankar told the media that PM Modi has invited President Zelenskyy to visit India, adding that New Delhi expects that the Ukrainian leader will visit the country "as per his convenience".
Jaishankar also said that a significant part of the discussion was devoted to bilateral relations.
"There was a discussion about trade, economic issues, defence, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, education," said the external affairs minister, adding "The leaders also tasked the Intergovernmental Commission, of which Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba and I are the co-chairs, to specifically focus on rebuilding our trade and economic relations, which had gone down in recent times. And we certainly look forward to having an early meeting of that body, definitely by the end of this year."
Both countries also signed four agreements following the discussions between PM Modi and President Zelenskyy.
Officials told news agencies that these agreements will facilitate cooperation in the fields of agriculture, the food industry, medicine, culture, and humanitarian assistance.
This marks the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since it gained independence in 1991, and PM Modi's trip occurs amid Kyiv's renewed military offensive in Russia's western Kursk region.
Before his trip to Ukraine, PM Modi spent two days in Poland on August 21 and 22.
(With agency input)