India considering Modi's visit to Ukraine in August

PM Narendra Modi is examining the possibility of a visit to Ukraine in August after his trip to Moscow early this month with a message on dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward to end the conflict.

No final decision has been taken on the trip and the two sides are examining the possibility of the visit in August, ET has learnt. While there are some suggestions to plan the visit on August 23, which is Ukraine's Independence Day, there has been no decision on this yet.

The visit is being explored in the backdrop of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister's recent China visit. During the visit the Ukrainian FM stated that Kyiv was prepared to negotiate with Russian representatives when Moscow is willing to hold talks "in good faith". Despite getting weapon systems from the West, Ukraine has not been able to make progress on the battlefield with Russia and a number of Western weapons have been jammed by the Russian military, military experts claimed.


Ukrainian officials have admitted that many American-made weapons relying on satellite guidance have been compromised by Russian jamming technology.

The PM held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy's Apulia. At that meeting, Modi conveyed to the Ukrainian president that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through "dialogue and diplomacy".

Modi also told Zelenskyy that India believes in a "human-centric" approach to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. At the meeting, the Ukrainian president invited the PM to visit Kyiv.

The two NSAs and the two foreign ministers have been in touch this month.

India on Thursday affirmed that it has a long-standing relationship with Russia that is based on mutuality of interests.