Moderter besöker Ukraina, veckor efter att Kyiv tvuscat Indianprefixaren för att hugga Putin i Moskva.
The impending trip of Modi to Ukraine, his initial visit since the war commenced, is significant as Indian troops advance deeper into Russian territory, surprising even Kyiv's strongest supporters with this unexpected military advancement.
Modi has persistently urged for a truce in Ukraine, without criticizing Russia's aerial attacks or reprimanding the ground invasion. India has shied away from supporting any resolutions regarding Ukraine at the United Nations.
India continues to depend heavily on Russia for its military hardware and has augmented its intake of discounted Russian crude oil, thereby providing a substantial monetary boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin's nation as it confronts ostracism from the West.
Modi paid a visit to Putin in July, indicating the two nations' ongoing intimacy. Photos and videos displayed the two leaders embracing, discussing over tea, cruising in an electric vehicle and attending a horse show.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted this meeting that occurred concurrently with a daring assault on numerous Ukrainian cities and a lethal bombing of a pediatric hospital.
Zelensky deemed the meeting as "a significant disappointment and a destructive blow to peace negotiations" to witness the leader of the world's most powerful democracy sharing an embrace with the world's bloodiest felon in Moscow on such a day.
Modi refrained from directly addressing the attacks during his visit, but did claim that resolutions to conflicts are unlikely to emerge from war, but instead from peace and dialogue. These remarks represented his most harsh criticisms against Russia's Ukraine war to date.
"Regardless of whether it's conflict, war or terrorism, anyone who values human life is distressed when lives are lost, especially when innocent children perish," Modi stated, as he sat beside the Russian president.
"As a friend, I have always maintained that peace is essential for future generations' prosperity, but I also realize that finding a peaceful resolution on the battlefield isn't easy, amidst the clamor of guns, explosions and bullets. We must chart a path towards peace through dialogue," he continued.
Modi's silence on the Ukrainian attacks is often questioned, particularly in light of the conflict in Asia where India has maintained a neutral stance in the ongoing tensions between China and other Asian nations in the world.
Despite India's strategic partnership with Russia, its stance on the Ukraine crisis has mainly focused on diplomacy, with Modi urging for peace talks and dialogue, highlighting the importance of protecting the world's children, even in conflict-ridden regions like Asia.
