PM Modi's visits to Poland, war-torn Ukraine from tomorrow. What's on agenda?

It will be the first visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries 30 years ago.

Published on: Aug 20, 2024, 20:18:21 IST

By HT News Desk

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make official visits to Poland and Ukraine beginning Wednesday.

Modi, who was recently sworn in as prime minister for a third successive term, is the first Indian PM after Morarji Desai to travel to the European country in 45 years. The year 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky met on the margins of the G7 Summit in Italy in June and they also met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Japan last year. (PTI file)

What's on agenda?

The external affairs ministry's secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal informed on Monday that PM Modi during his visit will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. He will also meet the Polish president Andrzej Duda and the Indian community. Modi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Polish capital Warsaw. He will also interact with business leaders and prominent ecologists during the visit.

“Indian community in Poland estimated at around 25,000. This includes around 5,000 students. The government and people of Poland had offered valuable assistance during 'Operation Ganga' for the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine. More than 4,000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022,” Lal added.

Modi's Ukraine visit

From Poland, PM Modi will travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on a train called Rail Force One, which will take around 10 hours. The return trip will be of the same duration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his first visit to Ukraine since Kyiv was attacked by Russian forces in the spring of 2022.

It will be the first visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries 30 years ago. Modi's visit comes at a time when Kyiv has carried out a fresh military offensive into the Russian territory.

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MEA's secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal said that PM Modi's talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to focus on the entire gamut of India-Ukraine ties including in areas of agriculture, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, health and education, defence, and people-to-people ties.

Asked whether India is interested in the reconstruction of Ukraine, Lal said New Delhi is willing to provide all support and contribution that may be required not only to find a peaceful solution to the conflict but also in the recovery process.

Modi had met Zelensky along the sidelines of G7 summit in June this year. During the interaction, the prime minister had said that India continues to encourage a “peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy”, and New Delhi will “continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution".

Last month, PM Modi met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, wherein he nudged the Russian president to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy, saying no solution can be found on the battlefield.

(With agency inputs)

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HT News Desk
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