Narendra Modi arrives in Ukraine for first visit ever by Indian PM

India's Narendra Modi has arrived in Kiev for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the first trip by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since Kiev gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The visit on Friday comes at a volatile juncture in the war in Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces still in Russia's western Kursk region following their incursion on August 6 and Russian troops grinding out slow but steady advances in Ukraine's east.

The visit, which follows a trip by Modi to Moscow in July, is important for Western-backed Kiev, which has been trying to nurture diplomatic relations in the Global South to secure a fair settlement to end the war.

"I look forward to the opportunity to share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," Modi said before the trip. "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region."

Modi's visit to Moscow last month coincided with a heavy Russian missile strike on Ukraine that hit a children's hospital. The attack prompted Modi to use emotive language to deliver an implicit rebuke to Putin at their summit.

But the trip elicited fierce criticism from Zelenskyy who said it was a "huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most 'bloody criminal in Moscow' on such a day".

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Ukrainian president's office, told Reuters Modi's visit to Kiev was significant because New Delhi "really has a certain influence" over Moscow.

"It's extremely important for us to effectively build relations with such countries, to explain to them what the correct end to the war is and that it is also in their interests," he said.

India, which has traditionally had close economic and defence ties with Moscow, has publicly criticised the deaths of innocent people in the war.

However, it has also strengthened its economic ties with Moscow after Western nations imposed sanctions on Russia and cut trade relations with it.

Indian refiners which rarely bought Russian oil in the past have emerged as Moscow's top clients for seaborne oil since Russia poured troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Russian oil accounts for over two-fifths of India's oil imports.

Normalising relations

"Lasting peace can only be achieved through acceptable options to both parties. And it can only be a negotiated settlement," Tanmaya Lal, Secretary in the Indian foreign ministry, told reporters.

"This is an important visit 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.

Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kiev-based political analyst, said he expected no breakthrough proposals to be made to end the war during the trip by Modi, who visited Poland on Thursday.

For there to be an attempt to negotiate, the military situation has to stabilise and the presidential election must be held in the United States, a close ally of Ukraine, he said.

He said the visit was important for India to demonstrate it was "not on Russia's side" and that Kiev wanted to normalise relations after Modi's Moscow trip.