Ukraine-Russia war: Why India's mediatory moves may remain limited

With its incursion into Russian territory, Ukraine crossed a red line with respect to the terms on which the Western allies extended it aid, potentially altering the dynamics of the peace process

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinskyi Palace on Friday. Image credit: @narendramodi (X)
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinskyi Palace on Friday. Image credit: @narendramodi (X)

3 min read Last Updated : Aug 26 2024 | 10:18 PM IST

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As the first Indian head of government to visit Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established in 1992, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to demonstrate India’s strategic independence in the war between Russia and Ukraine by engaging with both warring parties. In the past, Indian PMs avoided former Warsaw-Pact countries out of respect for Indo-Russian ties. Visiting Poland and Ukraine has altered those equations. The optics of the visit, for which Mr Modi travelled to Ukraine from Poland by train, were designed to suggest that India had succeeded in inserting itself into the peace process as a credible