In historic Kyiv visit, India’s Modi seeks to restore his image with the West – Technologist

Six weeks after embracing Vladimir Putin in Moscow and calling the Russian president his “dear friend” at the very moment when Russian forces were bombing a children’s hospital in Ukraine, Narendra Modi embraced Volodymyr Zelensky outside the presidential palace in Kyiv on Friday, August 23. The Indian prime minister arrived by train from Poland, where he was received by his counterpart Donald Tusk for two days.

The event – the first visit by an Indian head of government since Ukraine’s independence in 1991 – is historic, but it is above all an act of reparation. The Indian prime minister’s image had been severely damaged by his visit to Russia, and his calls for peace did nothing to change that. The Ukrainian president reacted by describing it as “a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day.” The Americans also expressed their disapproval.

This misstep had seriously jeopardized India’s delicate balancing act since the start of the war. This involved not taking sides to avoid alienating either its historical Russian partner, a key arms supplier and crucial ally against its Chinese rival, or the West, Ukraine’s allies. Since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, despite Western pressure, India has consistently abstained from voting on UN resolutions condemning Russia. Moreover, it has always refused to name the aggressor. Ignoring pressure from the Americans and Europeans, New Delhi has considerably increased its purchases of low-cost oil from Russia, which helps finance Moscow’s war effort, as Zelensky pointed out during their meeting.

Read more Subscribers only Modi shows closeness with Putin despite disagreements on Ukraine

Plea for dialogue

To repair the damage, the Ukrainian president and Indian prime minister honored the memory of the children killed in the conflict by visiting a memorial dedicated to them. The two men laid teddy bears and observed a minute’s silence. Modi, accustomed to warm embraces, took his counterpart by the shoulder. “Conflict is particularly devastating for young children,” wrote the prime minister in a message posted on X. “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.” That was the image.

On a more substantial level, Modi delivered multiple messages in support of peace and pleaded for dialogue and diplomacy, before offering his help. “We chose to stay away from war. That doesn’t mean we are neutral,” the prime minister said. “We are on the side of peace […] Personally, as a friend, if there is any role that I can play, I would very much like to play that role toward peace,” the Indian leader said to his counterpart during their two-and-a-half-hour meeting.

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