The goal of the phone chat between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and newly appointed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Thursday was to strengthen bilateral relations and find a way to end the country’s protracted war. The discussion was held almost a month following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic one-day visit to Ukraine.
Sybiha posted on X handle (formerly known as Twitter) “I spoke with Dr S Jaishankar to build on Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Kyiv and talks with Zelenskyy. We agreed to take our bilateral relations forward in all promising areas of cooperation. We exchanged views ahead of UNGA and coordinated next steps in political dialogue.”
Following the conversation, MEA Jaishankar added in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “Spoke with the new Ukrainian FM Andrii Sybiha today. Congratulated him on his appointment. Look forward to working with him.”
During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that Russia and Ukraine ought to negotiate a peaceful settlement of their differences. He further promised that India was prepared to take a proactive step to put an end to the current conflict and bring peace back to the area.
On August 23, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Kyiv from Poland after a ten-hour train ride. This was the first time an Indian Prime Minister had visited Ukraine since the country’s 1991 independence from the Soviet Union. He also extended an invitation for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit India when he was there.
In addition to stating that India has supported peace throughout the conflict, Prime Minister Modi offered his own personal assistance in finding a peaceful solution. Six weeks had passed since he had summit meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before his journey to Ukraine.