Modi’s Historic Visit to Ukraine: A Diplomatic Balancing Act Amid Ongoing Conflict

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv on Friday for a highly anticipated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The visit is being closely watched by Russia, as its ongoing military campaign in Ukraine continues to face international scrutiny and resistance.

This marks Modi’s first visit to Ukraine since it gained independence and comes shortly after his recent trip to Moscow. That visit, the first foreign trip of his new term, included discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. These talks were met with criticism from Kyiv, highlighting the delicate diplomatic position India occupies amid the ongoing conflict.

Following the discussions in Kyiv, India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, reiterated India’s commitment to facilitating an end to the war. “We are very, very keen that this conflict should come to an end,” Jaishankar stated during a press briefing.

Despite calls for a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine, India has refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion outright. This stance is part of India’s strategy to maintain its relationship with Moscow, a key arms supplier and a long-standing partner that India views as important in balancing its strained relations with China.

India has also become an economic lifeline for Russia, significantly increasing its purchase of Russian crude oil. This surge in oil imports follows global sanctions imposed on Russia, which have economically isolated the country. According to trade and industry data cited by Reuters, India recently surpassed China to become the world’s largest importer of Russian oil.

Defending India’s decision to buy oil from Russia, Jaishankar emphasized that it was a matter of energy needs rather than political alignment. “India is a big oil consumer; it is a big oil importer, because we do not have oil. It is not like there is a political strategy to buy oil, there is an oil strategy to buy oil, there is a market strategy to buy oil,” he explained.

Throughout the conflict, Ukraine has sought to persuade countries with close ties to Russia, such as India and China, to influence Putin toward accepting Kyiv’s peace terms. Zelensky praised Modi’s visit as “historic” and “symbolic,” expressing gratitude to India for its “support of our sovereignty and territorial integrity” over the two-and-a-half years of war.

Modi’s arrival in Kyiv occurred just a day before Ukraine’s Independence Day. This followed a two-day visit to Poland, where Modi strengthened India’s ties with the NATO member. During a press conference in Warsaw, referencing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Modi reiterated India’s position that “no problem can be solved on the battlefield.”

“We support dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability. For this, India, along with its friendly countries, is ready to provide all possible support,” Modi stated alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Tusk lauded Modi’s “intention to help end the war in Ukraine in a quick, peaceful, and fair manner.”

A Pivotal Moment in the Ukraine Conflict

Modi’s visit to Ukraine comes at a crucial juncture in the ongoing conflict. Earlier this month, Ukrainian forces launched a significant offensive into Russian-held territory, a move that Moscow is now struggling to counter. In response, Zelensky and Ukrainian officials are urgently seeking to expand international support for their peace plan, which centers on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil.

The looming U.S. presidential election has also raised concerns in Kyiv about the possibility of diminished American support if Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has been critical of NATO and U.S. aid to Ukraine, is elected.

Ukraine has consistently urged countries with strong Russian ties, like India and China, to press Putin toward negotiating peace on Kyiv’s terms. However, while India participated in a Kyiv-backed international peace summit in Switzerland in June, it stopped short of endorsing the summit’s final statement. India maintained that resolving the conflict requires “sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict.”

During Modi’s visit to Ukraine, discussions with Zelensky are expected to cover a wide range of topics related to bilateral relations, including trade, infrastructure, and defense, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. “This landmark visit, of course, takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which will also form part of discussions,” said Tanmaya Lal, the ministry’s secretary for the West.

The Ukrainian presidential office stated that Modi and Zelensky would “discuss issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation” and that several documents would be signed. Later, Jaishankar confirmed that four agreements were signed during the visit, covering community development projects, drug control standards, cultural exchange, and agriculture.

In recent months, officials from both India and Ukraine have expressed a desire to restore trade relations, which have suffered during the war. Annual data from Ukraine shows a significant drop in trade with India.

Modi and Zelensky have met twice on the sidelines of G7 summits since the conflict began, most recently in June in Italy. However, Zelensky was critical of Modi’s recent meeting with Putin, which coincided with a Russian assault on several Ukrainian cities, including a deadly strike on a children’s hospital.

Following that meeting, Zelensky expressed deep disappointment with Modi, calling it “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.”

Modi did not directly address the strikes during his visit to Moscow, but he made what were perceived as some of his most critical remarks on the war to date. “Any person who believes in humanity is troubled when there are deaths, especially when innocent children die,” he stated, also calling for a “path to peace through dialogue.”

Modi’s trip to Ukraine underscores India’s complex role in global diplomacy amid the ongoing conflict. As a nation striving to balance its relationships with both Russia and the West, India remains committed to its stance on promoting dialogue and diplomacy while navigating the geopolitical tensions of the current era.