Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a historic visit to Ukraine on Friday, a month and a half after he travelled to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
Indian and Ukrainian officials said the visit will focus on strengthening economic ties and co-operation in defence, science and technology.
The Indian PM added that he hoped for the “early restoration of peace and stability in the region.”
However, analysts said the visit could also be an attempt by India to adopt a more neutral stance after tilting towards Russia, given Modi’s recent visit to Moscow and his country’s historic Cold War-era relationship with Russia.
Modi’s landmark visit is the first by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the country established diplomatic relations with Ukraine more than 30 years ago. He will arrive in Kyiv after a two-day visit to Poland.
Analysts say the timing of the trip is aimed at controlling fallout from the Indian leader’s July 8-9 trip to Russia.
Modi visited Russia in early July and met Putin. The Russian leader received the high-ranking guest first at the Kremlin and then at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo. The main topics of the talks were the situation in Ukraine, use of payment systems and expansion of trade. Putin also invited the Indian prime minister to Kazan for the BRICS summit.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Li Shangfu and Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Qiang arrived in Minsk on a three-day working visit to discuss topical issues of bilateral military co-operation. They arrived in Belarus from Russia, where he took part in the Eleventh Moscow Conference on International Security.
