NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ukraine next month, according to a local media report, his first visit to the country since its war with Russia began and just weeks after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Ukraine's embassy in New Delhi said it had no immediate information to share. There was no immediate response from India's external affairs ministry.
Western countries have imposed sanctions on Moscow following its full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but “friendly” nations such as India and China have continued to trade.
India has refrained from directly blaming Russia, though it has urged the two nations to resolve their dispute through dialogue and diplomacy.
Modi met Putin just as a Russian missile hit a hospital in kyiv, killing at least 41 people. The Indian leader told Putin that the deaths of innocent children were “painful and terrifying.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his displeasure at Modi's visit, calling it a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts” to see him hug “the world's bloodiest criminal in Moscow on a day like this.”
Russia denied attacking the hospital.
The US State Department has expressed concern over India's relationship with Russia, especially at a time when it has been seeking to strengthen ties with India as a potential counterweight to a rising China.
New Delhi seeks to deepen its relationship with the West while keeping ties with Russia intact.
The final date of Modi's visit is yet to be confirmed, The Print reported on Saturday.
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