White House Says PM Modi’s Visit To Ukraine Potentially “Helpful”

The United States said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to conflict-hit Ukraine is “potentially helpful”, news agency AFP reported quoting the White House. Prime Minister Modi today arrived in Ukraine after a seven-hour-long train journey from Poland. He is the first Indian leader to visit the country since bilateral relations were established in 1992. 

The Prime Minister’s visit comes at a time when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has entered a new phase with Kyiv crossing the international border and taking control of several Russian settlements in Kursk.

If Prime Minister Modi’s Ukraine trip can work toward “getting us to an end to the conflict that comports with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky’s vision for a just peace, well, then we think that would be helpful,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

The United States had termed the Prime Minister’s visit to Ukraine an important trip. Richard R Verma, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources in a briefing had said, “I am delighted about this visit. I think this is an important visit — Poland and Ukraine.”

In a joint statement issued today, both leaders expressed their mutual interest in elevating bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future.