Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine on August 23 at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the external affairs ministry said in a press briefing on Monday. He will also visit Poland and hold a bilateral meeting with counterpart Donald Tusk on August 21, the ministry further added.
This is the first time an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Ukraine. It has been 30 years since Kyiv and New Delhi have set up diplomatic ties.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake an official visit to Ukraine later this week on August 23 on the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is also a landmark and a historic visit since this will be the first time an Indian PM will be visiting Ukraine in more than 30 years since we established our diplomatic relations. This visit will build upon the recent high-level interactions between the leaders,” Tanmaya Lal, the MEA secretary (West) said.
The visit comes as the war between Ukraine and Russia has intensified. The conflict is inching towards its third year come February and an Ukrainian offensive into the Russian territory of Kursk has angered Moscow which has in a tit-for-tat move tightened its grip on areas adjoining the Donetsk region. The visit also comes a month after PM Modi visited Russia and presided over the 22nd India-Russia annual summit with President Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian government in a statement said that PM Modi’s visit coincides with the National Flag Day of Ukraine and said documents between both countries will be signed. “On August 23, the National Flag Day of Ukraine, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Ukraine. This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine in the history of our bilateral relations. During the visit, in particular, the talks with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be held to discuss issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. It is also expected that a number of documents between Ukraine and India will be signed,” the statement said.
Earlier in March, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister visited New Delhi and met External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, and deputy National Security Adviser, Shri Vikram Misri. Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister, visited New Delhi in 2023.
PM Modi and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky have met twice in the past two years. On both occasions, the leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit – in June 2024 in Italy and in May 2023 in Japan. They had met in Glasgow on the sidelines of COP 2021.
“This landmark visit also takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which will form a part of discussions. India has consistently advocated for diplomacy and dialogue to reach and negotiate a settlement and had attended the Summit for Peace, hosted by Switzerland, in June this year,” Lal said.
“This is an important visit which will catalyse our ties in a whole range of sectors,” he further added.
Poland Visit
PM Modi will be the first prime minister in 45 years to visit Poland where he will hold a bilateral meeting with counterpart Donald Tusk and also meet Polish President Andrzej Duda.
“PM Narendra Modi will be undertaking an official visit to Poland this week on 21st and 22nd August on the invitation of PM Donald Tusk. This is a landmark visit as the PM of India is visiting Poland after 45 years. This visit takes place as we also mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations,” Lal said.
Earlier this year, Jaishankar had met counterpart Radosław Sikorski on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
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