Planning is under way for a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ukraine, likely on August 23, for what would be his first trip to the war-torn country, official and diplomatic sources confirmed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had reacted sharply to Mr. Modi’s visit to Moscow earlier this month, even as India asserted its “freedom of choice” and “strategic autonomy” on foreign relations.
“It is quite possible that [the visit] could be on August 23,” one official in the know said, while another said that the modalities are being worked out.
Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declined to comment on the proposed visit, while diplomatic sources said that “nothing is confirmed at present”.
Noting the great interest about the “potential visit” of the Prime Minister to Ukraine, the spokesperson of the Ukraine Embassy in India Volodymyr Prytula said that at this stage, there will be “no additional information” on the issue. “When we have the official information to share, I will communicate immediately,” he said in response to queries on the matter.
Strong criticism
Reports about the impending visit come after weeks of bitter criticism of Mr. Modi’s visit to Russia on July 8 and 9 that coincided with a major Russian missile attack against Ukrainian targets, including a children’s hospital in Kyiv. A special NATO summit in Washington, attended by Zelenskyy, also took place at the same time. Senior U.S. officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and State Department official Donald Lu, called Mr. Modi’s visit a “disappointment” in terms of “symbolism and timing”.
Mr. Zelenskyy was particularly strong in his reproach, calling out the embrace between Mr. Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Even as the Prime Minister and Mr. Putin held talks at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow, Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities, killing over 37 people. “It is 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,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a post on X in the early hours of July 9.
Damage control
Since then, it is understood that South Block has taken several steps to limit the damage from the visit, engaging several western diplomats on the issue, and even indicating that a visit by Mr. Modi to Kyiv could be on the cards. Ukraine’s Ambassador to India Oleksandr Polishchuk was called in for a meeting at the MEA, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephone call with Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba to discuss “further developing [the] bilateral relationship”. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Yermak too held a telephonic conversation.
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Meanwhile, Mr. Doval also held talks with Mr. Sullivan, after U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti’s statement warning that the U.S. should “not be taken for granted” and that “in times of conflict, there’s no such thing as strategic autonomy”.
Balancing interests
Against the backdrop of friction in the bilateral relationship over India’s refusal to criticise Russia at the United Nations, Mr. Kuleba arrived in India on his first ever visit at the end of March. The MEA had said that the exchange of views on regional and global matters involved a comprehensive discussion on the ongoing conflict and efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement.
Announcing his visit on X on March 25, Mr. Kuleba had said that Ukraine sees India as an “important global power with a powerful international voice.” In sharp contrast, in August 2022, he had come down heavily on India for its continued purchase of Russian oil despite western sanctions, stating that every barrel of Russian crude that India gets “has a good portion of Ukrainian blood in it”. However, he had also said that Ukraine was “friendly and open” to India and had supported the evacuation of Indian students.
If Mr. Modi does travel to Kyiv, he will be one of a handful of leaders who have visited both Ukraine and Russia after the conflict began in 2022, including the leaders of Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey.
Published - July 27, 2024 01:32 pm IST
