: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally arrived in Kyiv, becoming the first Indian leader ever to visit the country, as he is slated to hold high-stakes talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to balance India's position in the Russia-Ukraine war. This is the first such high-level visit from India since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and comes over a month after Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin, a visit criticised by Zelenskyy. Instead of a flight, the Prime Minister undertook a 10-hour journey via Train Force One, a specially designed high-security train that provides a comfortable journey through Kyiv, featuring luxurious amenities and executive-level work and relaxation facilities.
The war has forced Kyiv to close its airspace, so the train was considered the safest option to travel. The PM's engagements in Ukraine will touch upon a range of aspects of bilateral ties including political, trade, economic, investments, education, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian assistance and others. India will seek to re-assert its position of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.
Most eyes would be on PM Modi's visit to Kyiv, which comes over a month after his trip to arch-nemesis Russia, where both sides sought to boost bilateral trade and cooperation in areas ranging from nuclear energy to medicine. Modi would become the first Indian leader ever to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established in 1992 .