Indian PM Modi likely to visit Ukraine in August: Local media
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in July, the day after a Russian missile hit a children's hospital in Kyiv.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ukraine in August, said a local media report, his first visit to the country since its war with Russia began and just weeks after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Ukraine’s embassy in New Delhi said it had no information to share immediately. There was no immediate response from India’s Foreign Ministry.
Western countries have imposed sanctions on Moscow following its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but “friendly” nations such as India and China have continued to trade.
India has refrained from directly blaming Russia, while urging the two nations to resolve their conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
Mr Modi met Mr Putin in July, the day after a Russian missile struck a hospital in Kyiv,
The Indian leader told the Russian President that the deaths of innocent children were “painful and terrifying”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed unhappiness over Mr Modi’s visit, saying it was a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts” to see him hug “the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day”.
Russia has denied striking the hospital.
The US State Department has raised concerns over India’s relationship with Russia, especially at a time when it has been seeking to strengthen ties with India as a potential counterweight to an ascendant China.
New Delhi is seeking to deepen its relationship with the West while keeping ties intact with Russia.
The final date of Mr Modi’s visit is not yet confirmed, The Print reported on July 27. REUTERS
