Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sit in talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace as the two leaders met in Kiev on war.
The first visit by an Indian prime minister in Ukraine’s modern history comes at a particular juncture in the war launched by Russia on February 24, 2022, with Moscow slowly advancing into eastern Ukraine while Kiev presses with a cross-border offensive.
Modi, whose visit to Moscow last month was criticized by Kiev, said he had gone to Ukraine with a message of peace and called for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine at the earliest opportunity.
“The way to a solution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in this direction without wasting time. Both sides should sit together and find a way out of this crisis,” Modi said.
“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any part in this personally, I will, I want to assure you as a friend,” he said.
The comments came during joint statements in which both leaders called the visit “historic”.
Modi spoke after Zelensky, and the Ukrainian president did not have a chance to respond to the call for dialogue.
But Zelensky said in his comments that “the issue of ending the war and a just peace is a priority for Ukraine.”
Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants the war to end, but on Kiev’s terms, not Russia’s. Ukraine is pushing for a second international summit later this year, also with representatives from Russia, to advance its vision of peace.
The first summit, held in Switzerland in June, emphatically excluded Russia and was attended by a number of delegations, including one from India, but not from China, the world’s second-largest economy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday, August 19, that the possibility of talks has been ruled out following Ukraine’s attack on the western Russian region of Kursk.
Ukraine invaded Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, claiming to have captured more than 100 settlements in what military analysts say is an attempt to draw Russian troops from eastern Ukraine.
Moscow’s forces are advancing slowly, threatening the Pokrovsk transport hub and other Ukrainian positions in eastern Ukraine.
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