NEW DELHI, Aug 21, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
called for a "return of peace" Wednesday as he left for Ukraine, weeks after
Kyiv condemned him for hugging President Vladimir Putin during a visit to
traditional ally Russia.

Modi, 73, will first visit Poland before travelling on to Ukraine on Friday.

"As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability
in the region", Modi said on social media.

The premier has trodden a delicate balance between maintaining India's
historically warm ties with Russia while courting closer security
partnerships with Western nations as a bulwark against regional rival China.

His government has avoided explicit condemnations of Russia's invasion of
Ukraine in February 2022, instead urging both sides to resolve their
differences through dialogue.

It will be Modi's first visit to Ukraine, and he said he would discuss with
President Volodymyr Zelensky "perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the
ongoing Ukraine conflict", as well as the "deepening the India-Ukraine
friendship".

Modi's visit to Moscow in July came hours after a Russian barrage hit
multiple cities across Ukraine, killing more than three dozen people and
heavily damaging a children's hospital in Kyiv.

Modi was pictured hugging Putin at his country residence a day earlier,
drawing condemnation from Zelensky.

India and Russia have maintained close links since the Cold War, which saw
the Kremlin become a key arms provider to the South Asian country.

Russia has also become a major supplier of cut-price crude oil to India since
the Ukraine conflict began, providing a much-needed export market after the
imposition of Western sanctions.

That has dramatically reconfigured their economic ties, with India saving
billions of dollars while bolstering Moscow's war coffers.

However, Russia's fight with Ukraine has also had a human cost for India.

New Delhi has pushed Moscow to return several of its citizens who signed up
for "support jobs" with the Russian military but were later sent to fight on
the frontlines in Ukraine.

At least five Indian soldiers have been killed in the conflict.

Western powers have cultivated stronger relations with India as a hedge
against China, while also pressuring New Delhi to distance itself from
Russia.

India is part of the Quad grouping with the United States, Japan and
Australia that positions itself against China's growing influence in the
Asia-Pacific region.