Modi was accompanied by India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval, a move that analysts said underscored the serious nature of the visit.
During the historic trip, the first by an Indian Prime Minister since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, Modi and Zelenskyy held one-on-one delegation level talks with the aim of finding a negotiated solution to the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
Modi said he came with a “message of peace” from the 1.4 billion people of India and from other countries of the global south.
“The path to a solution emerges from dialogue and diplomacy and, without wasting time, we should move in that direction. The two sides should sit together and search for ways to get out of this hour of crisis,” said Modi.
India’s Unique Position
Dilip Sinha, a veteran diplomat who served as India’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva from 2012–2014, told The Epoch Times that Modi’s visit to Kyiv was a “balancing act,” in light of the criticism he received after his Moscow visit.Sinha noted that Modi’s Russia trip coincided with heightened developments in the region. Just hours before he landed in Moscow, missiles killed 41 people in Ukraine, including children in a Kyiv hospital. The trip also occurred right before the annual NATO summit in Washington, where the Russia–Ukraine war was a main agenda item.
“Zelenskyy had made a very strong statement at that time, [which] in fact, was personally directed against the Prime Minister, because he said in the tweet that he was hugely disappointed to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day,” said Sinha.
However, because India has maintained normal bilateral relations with Russia, Sinha said that he feels it is uniquely poised to bring forward some kind of “rapprochement” or to encourage dialogue between Russia and the Ukraine.
“The world is highly polarized. We’re talking about a new Cold War, right? There is no high level contact between the West and Russia at all,” Sinha said, noting that virtually all Western leaders have avoided visiting Russia since the start of the Ukraine conflict.
One recent exception was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s visit to Moscow earlier this summer, he said.
On July 1, Hungary took on the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, and Orban embarked on a “peace mission,” visiting both Russia and the Ukraine. However, his Moscow visit sparked backlash from Ukraine’s government and from other EU leaders, who accused him of abusing the EU presidency.
That Modi would undertake the exceptionally long journey from India to Ukraine for the short visit was significant in itself, he said. “A 20-hour journey for a seven-hour visit is quite something, especially for a head of the government,” Sinha said.
Resolution: in India’s Best Interest
One analyst told The Epoch Times that in engaging with both Russia and Ukraine, India is suggesting a new model for conflict resolution, to end a war that is not in India’s best interest.Pathikrit Payne is a senior research fellow at the New Delhi-based Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation. Payne told The Epoch Times that the timing of Modi’s visit to Kyiv, just weeks after his trip to Moscow, is significant. The fact that Modi was accompanied by Jaishankar and Doval was another indication of the visit’s serious nature, he said.
India is showcasing a new path to conflict revolution, Payne said: “Modi is demonstrating a new template of conflict resolution wherein one needs to respect and show empathy with both the warring parties before asking them to sit, talk and stop the war.”
While he was in Moscow, Modi spoke of the death of children amid the conflict, without pointing any fingers directly at Putin.
“Whether it is war, conflict, or terror attacks, everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is loss of lives,” the Indian prime minister said.
“But when innocent children are killed, when we see innocent children dying, it is heart-wrenching and that pain is immense,” he added.
At Kyiv’s Martyrologist Exposition, Modi repeated his message: “Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief,” he said in a message on X after his visit to the memorial.
Payne also highlighted that from a pragmatic standpoint, ending the Ukraine conflict is in India’s best interest. India has a defense manufacturing relationship with Russia, and historically, it has had a similar defense relationship with Ukraine. The Ukraine war has impacted all branches of the Indian military, although India’s military has attempted to fill the gap with domestic suppliers.
“Ukraine has been a critical player in India’s defense supply chain. ... The Russian warships that India procures traditionally always have had Ukrainian engines. Ensuring [that] Ukraine set up a joint venture in India to manufacture gas turbines is very crucial for Indian Navy,” said Payne.
According to him, the Indian Air Force’s fleet of over 100 AN-32 medium transport aircraft, procured from the former Soviet Union, were all manufactured in Ukraine.
India finalized a deal with Ukraine in 2009 to upgrade the entire fleet. However, it has been delayed due to the ongoing conflict, said Payne. “The visit by [Prime Minister] Modi is also to ensure such issues get sorted out.”
Potential Benefits to Other Countries
The Indian prime minister visited Poland Aug. 21–22, before heading to Ukraine. At a joint press conference with Modi in Warsaw, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Modi could play an important role in resolving the Ukraine conflict.“We began by discussing some very emotional issues. [Prime Minister] Modi confirmed his readiness for a peaceful, rightful, and immediate end to the war. We believe that India can play an essential and very constructive role, making this announcement highly important for us,” said Tusk.
Sinha said that Ukraine’s northwestern neighbor, like India, has “nothing to gain” from the Ukraine–Russia conflict.
“We want this war to end because we have excellent relations with Russia. We have excellent relations with the West, and we don’t want this war to last any longer than it already has. Poland also is in a similar position,” said Sinha.
Poland shares 329 miles of border with Ukraine and feels the direct impact of the conflict as refugees pour in. There is extra financial strain as well, because transport links have been disrupted, the former Indian diplomat said.
“So the Polish economy also must be very badly hit, and they would be keen to have some kind of mediation, which can at least lead to the start of talk[s],” said Sinha.
“There are not so many people in the world who can step forward and say, ‘Look, I’m here to try and help out.’ And India and India’s Prime Minister happen to be in that position. ... I think Poland [wants to] see if something can be done to at least get the two sides, if not talking directly, [then] indirectly,” said Sinha.
According to Payne, conflict resolution is also important to countries in the south that are economically hit by the conflict.
“Cessation of conflict is also very important for global south countries, since disruptions in global supply chains as a result of conflicts and unilateral sanctions impact developing countries more than anyone else. India as voice of [the] global south, is ensuring at least some efforts are made towards that direction,” he said.
At a press conference after Modi’s visit, Zelenskyy said he would “very much” welcome a peace summit orchestrated by Modi, but there are certain things that are non-negotiable: “We don’t change our people to any propositions, and our territories, and our values, and our freedom and democracy. We will not change.”
