WARSAW, Aug 21, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed
in Warsaw on Wednesday for a historic visit to Poland before travelling on to
Ukraine later this week to campaign for a "peaceful resolution" of the
Russia-Ukraine war.

Modi will be the first Indian premier to visit Ukraine and first in 45 years
to travel to Poland, Ukraine's staunch ally and neighbour, and a key transit
for foreign leaders heading to Kyiv.

He is expected to meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President
Andrzej Duda on Thursday, as well as with Indian nationals living in the
Central European country.

Poland "needs a lasting partnership with India," deputy Prime Minister
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters before Modi's visit.

Modi 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 2022 invasion
of Ukraine, instead urging both sides to resolve their differences through
dialogue.

"As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability
in the region," Modi said in a statement published Wednesday before his
departure for Poland.

In Kyiv, Modi will hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and "share
perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," the
statement added.

Zelensky said on Monday that "a number of documents are also expected to be
signed" during Modi's visit.

In July, hours after Russia pummelled multiple cities across Ukraine, Modi
visited Moscow and was pictured hugging Putin at his residence, drawing
condemnation from Zelensky.

Modi also visited Russia in 2019 and hosted Putin in New Delhi two years
later, weeks before Moscow began its offensive against Ukraine.

India has largely shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia and
abstained on UN resolutions targeting the Kremlin.