India's Modi reiterates peace stance in Ukraine visit
Published: 05:08 PM,Aug 23,2024 | EDITED : 09:08 PM,Aug 23,2024
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes India's Prime Minister Narendra Mod
KYIV: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a historic visit to Kyiv on Friday to reiterate his call for a peaceful end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Modi's visit comes at a dramatic moment in the two-and-a-half-year conflict, with a diplomatic settlement appearing more elusive than ever. 'We have stayed away from the war with great conviction. This does not mean that we were indifferent,' Modi told reporters, while seated alongside Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. 'We were not neutral from day one, we have taken a side, and we stand firmly for peace.'
During his visit to Moscow last month, Modi had told Putin that 'war cannot solve problems' and that seeing 'innocent children murdered... is pain that is unbearable.'
Ahead of his arrival in Kyiv, Modi said he planned to 'share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict' with Zelensky. While India has historically warm ties with Russia, it also courts closer security partnerships with Western nations.
The Ukrainian leader on Friday said he and Modi had together 'honoured the memory of children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression.'
'Children of every country deserve to be safe. We must make it possible,' Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
The Indian leader is casting himself as a possible peacemaker between Moscow and Kyiv. But his visit comes at a dramatic moment in the two-and-a-half year war, with a diplomatic settlement appearing more elusive than ever. Kyiv's forces are mounting a major incursion into Russia's Kursk region while Moscow's army is advancing in eastern Ukraine.
Modi pledged his country to humanitarian support for Ukraine's conflict with Russia, historically a close strategic ally of India.
'Whatever help is required from a humanitarian standpoint, India will always stand with you and will go above and beyond to support you,' Modi said. Modi began his tour of Kyiv by accompanying Zelensky to an exhibit commemorating children who have died in the war. 'I realised that the first casualty of war is in fact innocent children,' Modi said. 'And that is truly heartbreaking.'
As Modi arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine said a Russian strike killed two people in the north-eastern Sumy region and that two other people were pulled out of rubble caused by another strike on the Kharkiv region, further south, a day earlier. The United Nations has verified more than 10,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia attacked in February 2022.
Modi's visit comes at a dramatic moment in the two-and-a-half-year conflict, with a diplomatic settlement appearing more elusive than ever. 'We have stayed away from the war with great conviction. This does not mean that we were indifferent,' Modi told reporters, while seated alongside Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. 'We were not neutral from day one, we have taken a side, and we stand firmly for peace.'
During his visit to Moscow last month, Modi had told Putin that 'war cannot solve problems' and that seeing 'innocent children murdered... is pain that is unbearable.'
Ahead of his arrival in Kyiv, Modi said he planned to 'share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict' with Zelensky. While India has historically warm ties with Russia, it also courts closer security partnerships with Western nations.
The Ukrainian leader on Friday said he and Modi had together 'honoured the memory of children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression.'
'Children of every country deserve to be safe. We must make it possible,' Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
The Indian leader is casting himself as a possible peacemaker between Moscow and Kyiv. But his visit comes at a dramatic moment in the two-and-a-half year war, with a diplomatic settlement appearing more elusive than ever. Kyiv's forces are mounting a major incursion into Russia's Kursk region while Moscow's army is advancing in eastern Ukraine.
Modi pledged his country to humanitarian support for Ukraine's conflict with Russia, historically a close strategic ally of India.
'Whatever help is required from a humanitarian standpoint, India will always stand with you and will go above and beyond to support you,' Modi said. Modi began his tour of Kyiv by accompanying Zelensky to an exhibit commemorating children who have died in the war. 'I realised that the first casualty of war is in fact innocent children,' Modi said. 'And that is truly heartbreaking.'
As Modi arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine said a Russian strike killed two people in the north-eastern Sumy region and that two other people were pulled out of rubble caused by another strike on the Kharkiv region, further south, a day earlier. The United Nations has verified more than 10,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia attacked in February 2022.