KYIV: India’s Narendra Modi urged President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday to sit down for 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 wartime Kyiv.

The first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history comes at a volatile juncture in the war launched by Russia in Feb 2022, with Moscow making slow gains in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv presses a cross-border incursion.

The optics closely resembled the Indian leader’s visit to Moscow last month where he called for peace and embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin, angering Ukraine where a Russian missile strike hit a children’s hospital on the same day.

“The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to 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 role in this personally, I will do that, I want to assure you as a friend,” he said.

It was not immediately clear what Kyiv made of his remarks and whether they were part of a diplomatic push taking place behind closed doors with a presidential election looming in the United States, a close Ukrainian ally.

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

Both leaders described Modi’s visit as “historic” in their statements, in which Modi spoke second and Zelenskiy did not have an opportunity to respond to the call for dialogue. Zelensky said that “the matter of ending the war and a just peace are the priority for Ukraine”.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants the war to end but on Kyiv’s terms, not Russia’s. Ukraine has been pushing to hold a second international summit later this year to advance its vision of peace.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024