Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to visit Ukraine on Friday, a significant diplomatic move following his recent trip to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
The Indian foreign ministry said the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine will be a central focus during Modi’s talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
“This is also a landmark and historic visit since this will be the first time an Indian prime minister will be visiting Ukraine in more than 30 years, since we established our diplomatic relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Tanmaya Lal said.
The trip is expected to strengthen defence, economic and technological ties between the two nations.
It would offer an opportunity to discuss cooperation in defence, economic and business ties, science and technology and other sectors.
Modi will first travel to Poland on Wednesday, before making a 10-hour journey to Kyiv via the south-eastern Polish city of Przemysl.
“This will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Poland in the past 45 years,” the foreign ministry added.
Ukraine’s presidential office confirmed the two leaders would sign several cooperation agreements and discuss both bilateral and multilateral issues.
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Neutral on Russia
India has maintained a neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, avoiding direct condemnation while advocating for diplomacy and dialogue.
“The conflict is ongoing, and we believe that resolution can only come through dialogue and diplomacy,” Lal said.
He did not confirm whether Modi would propose a peace plan during the visit, but underscored India's participation in the Switzerland-hosted Summit for Peace in Ukraine in June, reaffirming Delhi’s commitment to supporting a settlement.
The visit comes a month after Zelensky criticised Modi’s trip to Moscow in July, where he met with Putin on the same day Russia launched missile attacks on Ukraine, killing 41 people and hitting a children’s hospital.
Zelensky called the meeting a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts”, expressing dismay at seeing the leader of the world’s largest democracy embrace Putin amid such violence.
Modi did not directly address the missile strikes but expressed sorrow over the loss of life, saying: “When innocent children are killed, when we see innocent children dying, then the heart pains. And that pain is very horrible.”
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Widening conflict
Modi's upcoming visit coincides with escalating military action in Ukraine, including strikes on a third bridge over the Seym River in Kursk, part of Ukraine's efforts to create a military buffer zone in Russian territory.
President Zelensky described these actions as proof of Russia’s empty threats of retaliation and urged Kyiv’s allies to lift restrictions on using their weapons against Russian targets.
Meanwhile, Russian forces claimed progress in their advance around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a critical transport hub in the Donbas region.
Amid the escalating conflict, Kyiv-based Indian academic Mridula Ghosh expressed hope that Modi’s visit could serve as a soothing presence.
“It will be an overwhelming thing for the Ukrainians,” Ghosh said in an interview with Indian TV.
“They view it as a visit of goodwill, a visit that will definitely try to seek some peace for the country as the prime minister has been very, very vocal about the inadmissibility of the war.”
Ukraine is home to a significant Indian community, including business leaders, engineers, builders and a large number of medical students.
Modi’s visit is expected to underscore India’s ongoing concern for its citizens in the region and its role in global peace efforts.
