- The Indian Prime Minister said he had “come to Ukraine with a message of peace.”
- Zelensky: The issue of ending the war and peace is the priority for Ukraine
- Modi's visit to Ukraine comes a month after his visit to Moscow.
kyiv: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war in the country and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace as the two leaders met in wartime Kiev.
The first visit by an Indian prime minister in Ukraine's modern history comes at a volatile time in the war launched by Russia in February 2022, with Moscow slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine while kyiv pushes for a cross-border incursion.
Modi, whose visit to Moscow last month was criticised by kyiv, said he had come to Ukraine with a message of peace and called for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible.
“The path to a solution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we must move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides must come 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 effort to achieve peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do so, I assure you as a friend,” he said.
The remarks came during joint statements, in which both leaders described the visit as “historic.”
Modi spoke second and Zelensky was not given a chance to respond to the call for dialogue.
But the Ukrainian leader said in his comments that “the issue of ending the war and a just peace is 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 for a second international summit later this year to promote its vision of peace and involve representatives from Russia.
