Team News Riveting
New Delhi, August 23
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met President Volodymyr Zelensky on the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian Prime Minister.
Modi and Zelensky hugged and shook hands as they met at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv. The two leaders are scheduled to hold both one-on-one and delegation-level talks with a focus on ways to find a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Prime Minister arrived in Kyiv from Poland onboard a ‘Rail Force One’ train that took around 10 hours, in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip. The Ukraine visit comes nearly six weeks after Modi’s high-profile trip to Russia during which he held extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin largely with a focus on ending the conflict.
Modi and Zelensky had met in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy’s Apulia. In the meeting, he conveyed to the Ukrainian President that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through “dialogue and diplomacy”.
He also told Zelensky that India believes in a “human-centric” approach to finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. In that meeting, the Ukrainian president invited the prime minister to Kyiv.
In an X post, Modi said, “President Zelensky and I had very productive discussions in Kyiv today. India is eager to deepen economic linkages with Ukraine. We discussed ways to boost cooperation in agriculture, technology, pharma and other such sectors. We also agreed to further cement cultural linkages.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the multimedia Martyrologist exposition on children at the National Museum of History of Ukraine in Kyiv. He was accompanied by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Prime Minister was deeply touched by the poignant exposition set up in memory of children who have lost their lives in the conflict. He expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of young lives and as a mark of respect placed a toy in their memory.
“President and I paid homage at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv. Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief,” he added.
