PM Modi in Ukraine: A look at New Delhi-Kyiv ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his way to Ukraine on Friday (August 23).

Modi, who is visiting at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will become the first Indian prime minister to make a state visit to Ukraine.

Tanmaya Lal, West Secretary, the Ministry of External Affairs, said  “PM Narendra Modi will undertake an official visit to Ukraine later this week on Friday, August 23, on the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is also a landmark and a historic visit since this will be the first time an Indian PM will be visiting Ukraine in more than 30 years since we established our diplomatic relations. This visit will build upon the recent high-level interactions between the leaders…”

Modi will travel to Kyiv from Poland by train .

His visit to Kyiv will last nearly seven hours.

The meeting between Modi and Zelenskyy “will provide an opportunity to review the entire gamut of relations including agriculture, economy, defence, pharmaceutical and people to people ties,” Lal said.

More from Explainers

How ChatGPT is becoming everyone’s BFF and why that’s dangerous This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

The MEA added that the prime minister’s trip in Kyiv will touch a range of aspects of bilateral ties including political, trade, economic, investments, education, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian assistance and others.

The prime minister will also interact with Indian community, including students during the visit.

But what do we know about the relationship between New Delhi and Kyiv?

Let’s take a closer look:

Establishing diplomatic ties

India was one of the first countries to recognise Ukraine after it gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

India’s government on December 26, 1991, recognised Ukraine as a sovereign state.

The two countries signed an agreement establishing diplomatic relations on January 17, 1992.

India opened its embassy in Kyiv on 7 May, 1992.

Ukraine, meanwhile, opened up its mission in New Delhi in February 1993.

This was also its first mission in Asia.

High-level visits

In March 1992, the then president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk made the first state visit to India.

In July 1993, India’s then president Shankar Dayal Sharma reciprocated with a state visit to Ukraine.

That would be followed by Leonid Kuchma visiting India as president of Ukraine in 2002.

Next, APJ Abdul Kalam would make a trip to Ukraine as president of India in 2005.

The last state visit by a Ukrainian president to India occurred in 2012.

Viktor Yanukovych, accompanied by a large official delegation and several businessmen, came on the 20th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

More recently, Modi and Zelenskyy have met on the sidelines of a number of summits including the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-26) in Glasgow in 2021, the G7 Summit in Japan in 2023 and the G7 Summit in Italy in 2024.

Economy and trade

Bilateral trade between the two countries touched $3.386 billion in 2021-22 .

That figure was at $2.59 billion in 2020-2021, $2.76 billion in 2019-2020, $2.73 billion in 2018-2019 and $2.68 billion in 2017-2018.

India exports pharmaceuticals, machinery, chemicals, food products to Ukraine, while it imports agricultural products, metallurgical products, plastics and polymers.

A number of Indian companies like Ranbaxy, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Sun Group have their representative offices in Ukraine.

Representatives of major pharmaceutical companies have set up an Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (IPMA) in Ukraine.

Indian diaspora and humanitarian assistance

As per RFI.FR, Ukraine is home to a significant Indian community, including business leaders, engineers and builders.

Prior to the war breaking out, India had around 19,000 students in Ukrainian universities, as per DW.

After Russia invaded in February 2022, India, Ukraine and Poland repatriated most of them in “Operation Ganga.”

The Hindu quoted Lal as saying that 16 packages of humanitarian assistance including power generators, medical equipment and medicine have been delivered to Ukraine thus far.

“I think 135 tonnes of material has been supplied so far and further initiatives are being explored,” Lal added.

Indian pharmaceutical companies have donated over $8 million worth of medical aid and financial assistance to Ukraine.

What do experts say?

That this is a good opportunity for India to yet again emphasise its neutral position on the Ukraine-Russia war.

“Russia is a long-term traditional ally and Ukraine also has had very friendly relations with India. It is a difficult task to manage this, especially because Ukraine has received strong support from the West, with which India also has good relations," Rajiv Bhatia, former Indian ambassador, and a distinguished fellow at the Gateway House think tank, told DW.

“India wants to expand, consolidate and maintain its ties with Russia,” Bhatia added.

“Defence and economic cooperation, and the role of India in the eventual rebuilding of post-war Ukraine will also be discussed. Modi is also likely to express gratitude towards the Ukrainian government for their help in evacuating Indian students after the war broke out.”

Kyiv-based Indian academic Mridula Ghosh told DW that Modi’s visit could be a soothing presence.

“It will be an overwhelming thing for the Ukrainians,” Ghosh said. “They view it as a visit of goodwill, a visit that will definitely try to seek some peace for the country as the prime minister has been very, very vocal about the inadmissibility of the war.”

India on Monday said it is willing to contribute in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

India has always been advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Lal said.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine will form a part of discussions and India has independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine, he added.

“This is not a zero-sum game. The PM had also travelled to Russia. Many ideas were discussed. The PM has also met President Zelenskyy on a couple of occasions in the last one year or so, and they will now be meeting again in Ukraine… The ongoing conflict will form part of the discussions…” Lal was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

“India has maintained a very clear and consistent position that diplomacy and dialogue can resolve this conflict (between Russia and Ukraine) and which can lead to enduring peace, so dialogue is absolutely essential. Lasting peace can only be achieved through options that are acceptable to both parties, and it can only be a negotiated settlement. On our part, India continues to engage with all stakeholders,” Lal added.

With inputs from agencies