Kyiv: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for high-stakes talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. PM Modi who reached Hyatt Hotel in Kyiv this morning received a grand welcome by Indian community who raised ‘Modi Modi’ slogan as he arrived. Prime Minister’s high-profile trip comes amidst the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Prime Minister Modi left for the historic visit to Ukraine on Thursday after concluding his two-day “productive” trip to Poland during which he had wide-ranging discussions with the Polish leadership. PM Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.
PM Modi decided to visit Ukraine at the invitation of President Zelenskyy. His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Russia which drew criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.
PM Modi’s Ukraine trip: What’s on agenda
Prime Minister Modi is expected to meet Ukrainian President for bilateral talks. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), PM Modi’s engagements in Kyiv will touch a range of aspects of bilateral ties including political, trade, economic, investments, education, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian assistance and others.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to interact with Indian community, including students during the visit. PM Modi’s landmark visit to Ukraine will help further consolidation and expansion of bilateral ties, the ministry said.
PM Modi’s peace message for Ukraine
Two days before his Ukraine trip, PM Modi said that India supports peace in the region and emphasised that any conflict can be resolved only through dialogue and diplomacy. Addressing the Indian community in Poland, the Prime Minister also iterated that “this is not an era of war”.
“India is the land of Lord Buddha’s legacy. Therefore, India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. India’s concept is clear – this is not an era of war… India believes in dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflict,” PM Modi told the gathering in the Polish capital on Wednesday. He further said that India had a policy for decades to maintain distance from all the countries. However, the policy of today’s India is to remain close to all the countries, he added.
Before his departure for Poland, PM Modi had said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict. “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 had said. “As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region.”