'India Was Never Neutral...': PM Modi To Zelenskyy | LIVE

PM Modi in Ukraine LIVE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (August 23) arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv after completing his two-day visit to Poland. This marks the first visit by the Prime Minister since the Russian-Ukraine war. It is also the first visit by an Indian PM to Ukraine since 1991. Ahead of his arrival, the PM in a post said that India hopes for an early return of peace and stability in the Ukraine. "I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," it said. 

Stay tuned with Republic for all the latest updates related to PM Modi's visit to Ukraine:

• India was never neutral, we are on side of peace: PM Modi tells Zelenskyy

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Modi told Zelenskyy over war in Ukraine, “India was never neutral, we are on side of peace. We come from land of Buddha.”

• We would urge Indian students caution in Ukraine: EAM Jaishankar 

"We would urge Indian students caution in Ukraine. We hope that this conflict will come to an end and life will return to normal," Jaishankar said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy for the bilateral talks at the Mariinskyi Palace. PM Modi shared a warm embrace with Zelenskyy on his arrival at the Palace and also shook hands with various Ukrainian delegates present at the palace. The PM was accompanied by Foreign Minister S Jaishhankar, NS Ajit Doval and others.

• “This is a landmark visit”: EAM Jaishankar 

"As you know, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv this morning and we've just concluded his official engagements. This is a landmark visit. It's the first time that an Indian PM has visited Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. PM arrived by a special train in the morning and he was received by the First Deputy Foreign Minister at the Kyiv railway station. He met the Indian community...His last engagement is going on right now, which is that he's meeting Ukrainian students who are studying Hindi," EAM Jaishankar said.  

•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his official residence, Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv. 

• India signs four MoUs with Ukraine during PM Modi's visit

The MoUs have been signed in the fields of medical, agriculture, culture, HADR.   

• PM Modi highlights Gandhi's message of peace ahead of talks with Zelenskyy in Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday underscored the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s eternal message of peace in building a harmonious society, as he paid floral tribute to the statue of the iconic Indian leader here in war-torn Ukraine. Modi arrived here earlier in the day after a nearly seven-hour trip from Poland to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid Kyiv's fresh military offensive into Russian territory.

• PM Modi hugs President Zelenskyy.
   

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two leaders honour the memory of children at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv.

• PM Modi pays floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in Kyiv

• 'PM Modi's Visit Gives Hope': Former Ukrainian PM Tymoshenko

Ahead of PM Modi's visit to Ukraine, Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko praised him by saying that his arrival "gives hope" for "sustainable peace."

"PM Modi's visit gives hope for the beginning of our joint efforts towards sustainable peace...I would like to express my wish to PM Modi that his visit be successful and could strengthen and bring hope towards peace because he is a leader of the largest democracy in the world," she said.

"That is where our hopes are based and therefore it gives me confidence that his visit is going to be successful and will be a very significant strategic step towards achieving stable, comprehensive, sustainable and fair peace," the former PM added. 

• PM Arrives in Ukraine by train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Kyiv Central Railway station in Ukraine on Thursday during his one-day visit to the war-hit country.

• PM Modi shares pictures with Indian diaspora

• PM Modi gets a warm welcome in Kyiv amid chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Vande Mataram” and “Jai Shri Ram”.

• First Visuals of PM in Kyiv:

After a successful visit to Poland, visuals of PM Modi arriving in Kyiv with his fleet of cars have emerged.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine. As per reports, the prime minister reached Kyiv at around 7:30 am local time. 

The two leaders last held talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia. During the meeting, PM Modi conveyed to the Ukrainian President that India would 'continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict' and that the way to peace is through "dialogue and diplomacy".

The prime minister also told Zelenskyy that India believes in a "human-centric" approach to finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

What's on the Agenda?

During the visit, the two leaders are set to discuss cooperation in defence, economic and business relations, and advancements in science and technology. Zelenskyy’s office has confirmed Modi’s trip and gave indications that ‘multiple cooperation agreements and bilateral and multilateral issues’ will be addressed.

It is to be noted that the Ukrainian President previously criticised Modi’s two-day visit to Moscow and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July. Ukraine and its Western allies have expressed concerns over the strong ties between India and Russia amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Currently, a peace process between Moscow and Kyiv seems unlikely, with the war continuing and both sides far apart on cease-fire terms. Ukraine insists on the withdrawal of Russian forces from its territory before any negotiations can commence, while Moscow, which declared four Ukrainian regions as part of Russia in late 2022, maintains it will not give up these areas.