Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France on Wednesday, with the two leaders exchanging views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the protracted conflict in Ukraine that has kept the international community on edge for over two years.
The bilateral meeting on the margins of the G7, which brings together the world’s leading democratic economies, underscores India’s continued engagement with all parties to the Ukraine conflict as it seeks to maintain its position as a credible interlocutor and advocate for dialogue and diplomacy. India has consistently called for an early, negotiated end to the conflict and has refrained from taking sides, maintaining active diplomatic channels with both Kyiv and Moscow.
Modi and Zelenskyy have met on multiple occasions since the outbreak of the war, including on the sidelines of major multilateral summits. Their meetings have focused on humanitarian cooperation, the supply of Indian medicines and other essentials to Ukraine, and India’s broader interest in a stable and rule-based international order. Modi’s landmark visit to Kyiv last year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, was seen as a significant gesture of solidarity with Ukraine and underlined India’s intent to engage directly with the conflict rather than remain a passive observer.
For Ukraine, which continues to seek international support both in terms of military assistance and diplomatic pressure on Russia, India’s engagement is valued for its potential to influence the broader global narrative. India’s refusal to condemn Russia at the United Nations, while simultaneously maintaining close ties with Kyiv, gives it a unique standing that few nations in the developing world possess.
The G7 Summit in France has brought together leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Canada, along with a number of invited partner nations. Issues of global security, trade, artificial intelligence governance, and climate change are expected to feature prominently on the agenda. The India-Ukraine meeting on the sidelines adds a significant diplomatic dimension to India’s presence at the summit.
New Delhi has emphasised that its approach to the Ukraine crisis is guided by the belief that no problem can be solved on the battlefield, and that sustained dialogue remains the only path to durable peace.
