INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kiev today for meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Officials in India and Ukraine say the visit focused on boosting economic ties and co-operation in defence, science and technology. 

Ukrainian media reported that Mr Modi met with representatives of the Indian diaspora after arriving. 

“The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome,” Mr Modi said on the X social media platform.

The chief of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, called Mr Modi’s visit “historic” and emphasised Ukraine’s expectation that India could play a role in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine with a “just peace,” referring to Ukraine’s peace formula.

But, he said, it was now “necessary to say who is the aggressor, who is the victim,” in the conflict.

Before arriving in Ukraine, Mr Modi urged diplomatic efforts to end the war during a visit to Poland on Thursday, saying that no conflict can be solved on a battlefield.

Mr Modi’s arrival came a month and a half after President Zelensky slammed his visit to Moscow in July, when he met President Vladmir Putin on the day Russian missiles struck Ukraine, killing scores of people.

The visit by Mr Modi is the first by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the two countries established diplomatic relations over 30 years ago.