Modi promises to be involved in getting Ukraine out of war

While symbolically important, Modi’s visit to Kiev represents no concrete step toward peace, as fighting continues on Russian soil 30 months after the invasion began.

Two and a half years after the start of the Russian aggression, Ukraine is still trying to isolate Russia and find support among countries of the global South, such as India, Brazil or South Africa, which have remained neutral for the most part.

India, in particular, has benefited from low Russian oil prices as a result of economic sanctions imposed by the West, relying on the Russian military industry.

On Friday, its prime minister, Narendra Modi, became the first leader of the Asian giant to visit Kiev, where he reiterated his commitment to “dialogue” and a “peaceful resolution” of the conflict.

Zelensky’s closest adviser Andriy Yermak revealed that his personal meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky lasted three hours and became “one of the longest” visits of heads of various countries to Ukraine.

In a briefing after the conclusion of the meeting, Indian diplomacy chief Subrahmanyam Jaishankar revealed that the situation on the battlefield, as well as opinions on ways to end the war, dominated the talks.

Modi conveyed to Zelensky his commitment to dialogue and negotiations to end the war, while Zelensky asked Modi to help organise a new peace summit, which he hopes will increase pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Although Indian representatives were present at the first peace summit in Switzerland, they refused to sign its final communiqué.

Zelensky described the visit as “historic” and stressed that India supports Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity. “This is important, because everyone in the world should equally respect the UN Charter,” he said.

In addition to signing four cooperation agreements in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, humanitarian and cultural sectors, the countries agreed to deepen their cooperation in the defence industry and lay the foundation for developing their strategic partnership in the future.

Modi’s visit comes more than a month after he travelled to Russia for talks with Putin on July 9. During his visit, the Indian leader warmly embraced his host in Moscow, just hours after Russia launched massive bombing of Kiev, killing more than forty people and partially destroying the country’s largest children’s hospital. Zelensky then described Modi’s warm meeting with Putin as “a big disappointment and a serious setback to peace efforts.”

It was the memorial to children killed by Russia that Modi and Zelensky visited together in Kyiv. Modi reiterated, “Last month, when I visited Russia, I clearly told Putin that problems cannot be solved on the battlefield. The only way to solve problems is through dialogue and diplomacy.”

However, when asked about concrete ways in which India could contribute to the dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, Modi’s top diplomat declined to elaborate.

76% of Ukrainians believe that the continued defense against Russian aggression is due to Russia’s refusal to accept its western neighbor as an independent country. According to Ukrainian officials, peace with Russia is possible only if the invading country is stopped through the firm support of foreign partners, painful military defeat and isolation in the international arena.

The situation remains difficult in Donbass, where Russian troops use their numerical superiority and aviation advantage to advance toward their priority objective, Pokrovsk. Their small kamikaze drones can now fly over the city, where more civilians are likely to lose their homes soon. However, Ukrainian forces are slowly retreating rather than fleeing. “Everyone fights with their last strength, no one runs away,” says a report from the region.

The mood in Ukraine is not as bleak as it was a few months ago as its forces continue to expand the territory they control in Russia’s Kursk region. Despite the arrival of Russian reserves, Ukraine continues to advance in the region, using Western weapons to destroy Russian logistics and troops. Exactly 30 months ago, when Russian tanks began arriving in Ukraine, few would have imagined that Ukraine would now take control of large parts of Russian territory.

“I would like to be able to use these lands in exchange for the territories that Russia has occupied in Ukraine and achieve peace. But we cannot trust the Russians,” says Valentina, a resident of the Kharkiv region.

Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Gavriliuk believes that increasing Ukraine’s ability to strike deep into Russia with drones and missiles is necessary to convince the attacking country to stop its aggression. Several Russian airfields and oil depots have been attacked in recent weeks. On Thursday, a major ferry was destroyed in Krasnodar.

“It is necessary to consistently and intensively reduce the military potential of the Russian army… This is the most practical and effective way to bring the Russians to the negotiating table,” he said on Friday.