PM Modi’s Ukraine visit has ended. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and stressed the need for dialogue to find a solution to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. During this, the Prime Minister also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit India.
On this, Zelensky said that he would be happy to visit the “great” country. During a media briefing after the talks between the two leaders, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed that Modi has invited Zelensky to visit India. He said, “It is important that our Prime Minister has visited Ukraine for the first time since 1992. On such occasions it is natural that he extends an invitation, as he did in this case.”
PM Modi had earlier visited Russia and now when he was on a tour of Ukraine, the global media was keeping an eye on his official visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ukraine visit has made a lot of headlines in the international and Ukrainian media, and the Russian media has also given this visit prominent coverage. Apart from this, this visit has also been in discussion in the media institutions of America. Let’s take a look at what each media wrote about this visit of PM Modi.
new York Times: The New York Times has praised Prime Minister Modi’s foreign policy. The media organization wrote that PM Modi is carefully handling his relations with both Russia and Ukraine. The New York Times presented this visit as “Indian Leader Visits Kyiv as Ukraine Pushes Diplomacy”. The newspaper reported that Modi faces the challenge of maintaining a balance with Russia and Ukraine, especially after he recently met President Putin in Moscow. The newspaper also described the conversation between Modi and Zelensky on the purchase of oil from Russia as important, as it is a sensitive issue for India, which is balancing its strategic relations with Russia.
BBC: The BBC described Prime Minister Modi’s visit as a “test of diplomatic balance”. The BBC highlighted that Modi’s visit comes after his recent meeting with Putin, which was criticized by Western countries. The BBC said that Modi’s visit to Kiev may be an attempt to pacify Zelensky and Western leaders, but it is also a symbol of India’s independent and balanced foreign policy. The report also said, “India’s non-alignment foreign policy has been its strength for decades.”
Washington Post: The Washington Post described PM Modi’s peace initiative as “a friend’s visit”. The paper called the visit the most important visit by a leader of a neutral nation in wartime. However, the report quoted a Ukrainian analyst as saying that the visit is “just the beginning of a complex dialogue between India, Ukraine and Europe.”
The Guardian: The Guardian has termed PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine as historic. Quoting the statement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it wrote that “The Prime Minister of India visited Ukraine for the first time since the country’s independence.” Zelensky called Modi’s visit historic on social media and praised India’s role.
CNN: Commenting on PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine, CNN said that this visit has taken place a few weeks after his recent visit to Russia. The report said that India has constantly appealed for a ceasefire, but has kept itself away from criticizing Russia. PM Modi’s statement has also been included in the report, in which he said that “no problem can be solved on the battlefield.” The report also says that India is playing an important role in Russia’s economy and is importing oil from Russia on a large scale.
Politico EU The report emphasized Zelensky’s demand for a “just peace” from India. The report said that this request is challenging, as India has strong economic ties with Russia. Along with this, the report also mentioned India’s participation in the recent peace conference held in Switzerland. Where India did not support the final joint statement. This reflects its balanced approach.
The Moscow Times has taken a critical view of this visit. The newspaper said that PM Modi’s visit can be seen as a sign of support for Ukraine, but it should also be seen in the context of India’s ongoing trade and relations with Russia, especially when Western countries are imposing sanctions on Russia. The report saw Modi’s recent visit to Russia and his closeness to Putin as “his disregard for the free world”.