PM Modi Greeted With Namaste In Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived in war-hit Ukraine and is expected to share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict when he meets President Volodymyr Zelensky later today. The visit comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.

The prime minister arrived in Kyiv from Poland onboard a 'Rail Force One' train that took around 10 hours, in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip. At the station, PM was greeted with Namaste, not only by Indian diplomats but also by Ukrainian officials, who received him with folded hands. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser.

Modi will hold both one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Zelensky with a focus on ways to find a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

India has so far maintained a neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine war, calling for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. Modi's government has expanded India's non-alignment policy to "multi-alignment," engaging with both the countries independently.