Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Ukraine, officials said Monday, weeks after he made his first trip to Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. <\/p>\n
His forthcoming visit to Ukraine – also his first since the start of the war \u2013 comes at a crucial moment, as Kyiv\u2019s troops push further into Russian territory in a shock military offensive that stunned even Kyiv\u2019s closest allies. <\/p>\n
Modi has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Ukraine, without condemning Russia\u2019s aerial campaign or denouncing the ground invasion. India has also abstained from all resolutions on Ukraine at the United Nations. <\/p>\n
India remains heavily reliant on the Kremlin for its military equipment and has ramped up purchases of discounted Russian crude oil, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s nation a major financial lifeline as it faces isolation from the West. <\/p>\n
Modi visited Putin in July, a sign that the two nations remain close. Images and video showed the two leaders hugging, chatting over tea, riding in an electric vehicle and watching a horse show. <\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the meeting that coincided with a brazen assault on several Ukrainian cities and a deadly strike on a children\u2019s hospital. <\/p>\n
The Ukrainian leader described the meeting as a \u201chuge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world\u2019s largest democracy hug the world\u2019s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day.\u201d <\/p>\n
Modi did not address the strikes directly during his trip, but did say solutions to conflict are unlikely to come through war, but rather peace and dialogue. The remarks appeared to be his most critical comments to date against Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s conflict, war or terror, any person who believes in humanity is troubled when there are deaths, especially when innocent children die,\u201d Modi said while seated alongside the Russian president. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a friend, I have always said that peace is necessary for the prosperity of future generations, but I also know that on the battlefield, solutions aren\u2019t easy to come by between guns, bombs and bullets. We have to adopt a path to peace through dialogue,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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