Indian premier arrives in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on landmark visit

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on a landmark visit to the war-torn country.

Ukraine’s state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia on Telegram shared a video of Modi arriving at the Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi railway station, where he was greeted by Ukrainian officials.

Modi’s arrival to Kyiv marks the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine in the history of bilateral relations, and follows an earlier visit to neighboring Poland.

The Indian premier’s visit was announced in a statement by his office on Monday, which said that Modi will “share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict.”

“As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," Modi further said, adding that he looks forward to “an opportunity to build on earlier talks” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The meeting takes place a few weeks after Modi’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.​​​​​​​