Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's stand of "dialogue and diplomacy" to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said today. The Prime Minister, Mr Jaishankar said, stressed "India's willingness to contribute in all ways possible". The two leaders also discussed PM Modi's conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Moscow in July, he added.
"It is India's view that the two sides need to engage with each other to find a solution," said the Union Minister.
PM Modi is on a historic visit to Ukraine – which is under the shadow of a long-drawn war with Russia – to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. It's the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister after Ukraine became independent in 1991.
"This is a landmark visit. It's the first time that an Indian PM has visited Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. PM arrived by a special train in the morning and he was received by the First Deputy Foreign Minister at the Kyiv railway station. He met the Indian community," Mr Jaishankar said in a media briefing.
"The Prime Minister also discussed his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin," added the Foreign Minister.
The 73-year-old, who is being seen as a possible peacemaker because of India's historically warm ties with Russia, embraced Zelensky at the Mariinsky palace in Kyiv where they also held a delegation-level meeting today.
His visit comes at a significant moment in the more than two years of war as Ukraine's forces are mounting a major incursion into Russia's Kursk region while Moscow's army is advancing in eastern Ukraine.
PM Modi reached Ukraine after a nearly 10-hour train journey from Poland – Kyiv's close ally and a key transit for foreign leaders heading to its war-torn neighbour.
"No problem can be resolved on a battlefield," he said in Warsaw before heading to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian and Indian leaders "honoured the memory of children" whose lives were lost in the Russian war. "The conflict is particularly devastating for young children," said PM Modi who paid homage at the Martyrologist exposition on Children in Kyiv.
This was a reiteration of his earlier message in Moscow when he said seeing "innocent children murdered is a pain that is unbearable".
As per United Nations, more than 10,000 civilians have in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, emphasising the actual figure is likely much higher.