Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to visit India, with both sides currently working on finalising a “precise date,” Ukraine’s Ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, has told agencies. The development follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to Zelenskyy during his visit to Kyiv in August 2024.
“In relation to the declaration about the future strategic partnership between India and Ukraine, believe me, we have potential for that. The Indian Prime Minister invited Zelenskyy to come to India. Both sides are working on this. We expect President Zelenskyy to be in India, definitely. It will be a great achievement in our bilateral relationship… We are trying to agree on a precise date,” Polishchuk said.
PM Modi’s Historic Kyiv Visit, A First
In August 2024, Narendra Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ukraine where he met President Zelenskyy and extended the invitation for him to visit India.
Also Read: Putin Tells Trump He’s Ready For Peace In Ukraine But On These Controversial Conditions
Since then the two leaders have met at several international summits and have held bilateral meeting as Ukraine continues to face the Russian onnslaught.
Russia-Ukraine War
The two leaders first met after the outbreak of the war during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 20, 2023. At that meeting, Modi said that the war was “an issue of humanity.”
India has time and again reaffirmed it’s commitment to peace and humanitarian support when it comes to Russia-Ukraine war.
They met again on June 14, 2024, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy. Here also, Modi spoke about dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace in the conflict.
A third meeting was held on September 23, 2024, on the sidelines of the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future’ in New York, where discussions focused on India’s continued support for a peaceful resolution to the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Meets Donald Trump
Zelenskyy held talks with US President Donald Trump as part of peace negotiations, following an earlier meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump adminstration has accused India of financing the Russia’s war in Ukraine. White House recently announced imposing an additional 25% tariff on India. This has effectively raised the total levies against the major trading partner to 50%.
Explaining the decision, President Trump stated in an executive order, “I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
