Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the capital Kyiv on Friday on a one-day visit to Ukraine where he was warmly welcomed. This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine is taking place six weeks after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, which was heavily criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On 8 July, the day PM Modi reached Moscow on his Russia tour, Russia attacked a children’s hospital in Ukraine. 41 people including many children were killed in the attack. After this, when pictures of PM Modi hugging Putin came out, a sharp reaction was seen from Ukraine and Western countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was disappointing to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embracing Moscow’s bloody criminal.
Did PM Modi go to Ukraine to please the West?
Regarding the reaction of Zelensky and the Western countries and PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine six weeks after meeting Putin, some analysts say that this visit is being done to please him. However, India has always followed the policy of non-alignment.
Analysts believe that through PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine, India wants to show that while on the one hand India will maintain close relations with Russia, on the other hand it will also work together with Western countries.
Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, the eyes of the world are on PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine. Modi’s visit to Ukraine is also special because India never openly criticized Russia for the war nor did it support the western countries in imposing sanctions on Russia.
Instead, India has increased its trade with Russia in an unprecedented manner since the beginning of the war. India is buying huge quantities of crude oil from Russia at discounted rates. Before the war, India used to buy less than 2% of its oil from Russia. However, after the war, Russia has become India’s major oil supplier.
Will PM Modi be able to get Russia and Ukraine ready for talks?
Given India’s neutral policy in the Russia-Ukraine war and its good relations with both countries, it has been said many times that India can work to bring both parties to the negotiating table. However, given the current situation in the war, it is very difficult to say whether both parties will agree to negotiate. Ukrainian soldiers have intruded into Russia’s Kursk region.
According to news agency Reuters, Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk means that there will be no talks between Russia and Ukraine until Ukraine is completely defeated on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, during his Ukraine visit, Prime Minister Modi has reiterated in his conversation with Ukrainian President Zelensky that the problem cannot be solved by war. He said, ‘Problems are solved through dialogue and diplomacy. Both sides should start talking to each other without wasting time.’
Along with this, PM Modi has also hinted at playing the role of mediator in resolving the conflict. He said, ‘India will play an active role in the efforts for peace.’
However, Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, says PM Modi will not offer mediation on India’s behalf unless Russia and Ukraine themselves want it.
He said, ‘India does not like other countries mediating on its issues, Kashmir being the main one among them. And I don’t think Modi will formally offer mediation unless both Russia and Ukraine want it. And at this point I don’t think either country will make any such offer.’
At the same time, well-known strategic analyst Brahma Chellaney is not hopeful about PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine and he has also raised questions on the timing of the visit.
He wrote, “Modi’s visit to Kyiv on August 23 is not just ill-timed; its purpose is also unclear. Ukraine’s (Russia’s) incursion has dealt a serious blow to ceasefire efforts. Just because no Indian Prime Minister has visited Ukraine since Ukraine’s independence, there is no good reason for Modi to visit Kyiv amid rising tensions in the war.”
What is the purpose of PM Modi’s Ukraine visit?
Former ambassador Rajiv Bhatia says the aim of PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine is to strengthen bilateral relations and advocate for peace in the devastating war zone.
In an interview, Bhatia said, ‘We have good relations with Ukraine in trade, commerce, education and defence cooperation. We have had good relations with Ukraine since 30 years ago when Ukraine became a new country after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and we established diplomatic relations with it. This visit will further strengthen the relations. India will provide more humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Ukraine will also give preference to Indian companies for construction work after the war.’
What did the Ukrainian diplomat say?
Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian President, has commented on PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine. Speaking to Reuters, he said that Modi’s visit to Ukraine is important because India has close relations with Russia and India also has a special influence on Russia.
He said, ‘It is very important for us to build strong relations with such countries and make them understand what is the right end to the war and that it is also in their interest.’
Kiev-based political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko says that he does not have much hope from PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine but this visit is important for India so that it can show that it is not completely on Russia’s side.
At the same time, Michael Kugelman says that PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine is important in many ways.
He wrote on the social media site X, ‘Why Modi’s visit to Ukraine is important – Very few leaders have visited Russia and Ukraine since the invasion. Very few countries have good relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Very few top leaders who have such close ties with Russia have visited Ukraine after the invasion.’
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)