Indian Prime Minister Modi begins landmark visit to Poland and Ukraine

• Modi aims for an early return of peace and stability in the region.
• In Kyiv, he will discuss the conflict with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Several documents are expected to be signed during Modi’s visit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Warsaw on Wednesday for a historic visit to Poland, before continuing to Ukraine later this week to advocate for a “peaceful resolution” of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Modi will be the first Indian premier to visit Ukraine and the first in 45 years to travel to Poland, a key ally of Ukraine and a crucial transit point for foreign leaders heading to Kyiv.

On Thursday, he is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, President Andrzej Duda, and Indian nationals living in the Central European country.

Before Modi’s visit, Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that Poland “needs a lasting partnership with India.”

Modi has carefully balanced India’s historically warm relations with Russia while seeking closer security partnerships with Western nations to counter regional rival China. His government has avoided explicitly condemning Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, instead urging both sides to resolve their differences through dialogue.

“As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region,” Modi said in a statement published Wednesday before he departed for Poland.

In Kyiv, Modi will discuss the conflict with President Volodymyr Zelensky and “share perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict,” the statement added.

On Monday, Zelensky mentioned that “several documents are also expected to be signed” during Modi’s visit.

In July, shortly after Russia bombarded multiple Ukrainian cities, Modi visited Moscow and was photographed hugging Putin at his residence, which drew condemnation from Zelensky.

Modi had also visited Russia in 2019 and hosted Putin in New Delhi two years later, just weeks before Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine.

India has largely avoided explicitly condemning Russia and has abstained from UN resolutions targeting the Kremlin.

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