Ukraine's Zelensky, PM Modi Hold Bilateral In New York As Leaders Meet For Third Time In Four Months

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on Monday (local time), on the final day of his three-day US trip. He is meeting Zelensky almost a month after he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the eastern European nation as it remains embroiled in a conflict with its neighbour, Russia.

The external affairs ministry said that the meeting was held after a request was made by the Ukrainian side.

“Met President @ZelenskyyUa in New York. We are committed to implementing the outcomes of my visit to Ukraine last month to strengthen bilateral relations. Reiterated India’s support for early resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and restoration of peace and stability,” PM Modi said in a social media post after the meeting.

Visuals shared by ANI showed PM Modi and Zelensky sharing a hug and a handshake. The 18-second long video clip showed external affairs minister S Jaishankar also present in the bilateral meeting.

PM Modi’s meeting with Zelensky is significant as he urged resolving conflicts through diplomacy in his addresses to the UN at the Summit of Future event, Quad Summit and the diaspora-hosted mega gathering.

It should also be noted that this is the third time in three months both leaders have met.

News18 has learned that Zelensky appreciated India’s attention (towards the conflict) and PM Modi’s efforts to bring peace.

PM Modi, during his meeting with Zelensky, highlighted that he consistently has stood for peace. He mentioned that he has spoken to several world leaders who share the view that the war must end and a resolution should be found, News18 has learnt.

Modi, earlier in the day while addressing the UN, had said: “Success of humanity lies in our collective strength, not in the battlefield”.

He is among the very few world leaders who have spoken to both leaders, Ukraine’s Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and urged them, in-person, to pursue a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, which is inching towards its third year.

He also met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York after the event and said India supports early restoration of peace and stability in the region and exchanged views on further strengthening long standing friendship with the people of Palestine.

Both Ukraine and the Palestinian peoples find themselves caught in a deadly conflict. The war in Ukraine started early 2022 when Russia said it is launching a special military operation in Ukraine to ‘denazify’ the neighbouring country, which the Kyiv regime said was a pretext to launch an invasion.

The war in the Palestinian enclave began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Hamas-run Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel’s military has leveled swathes of the Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities who do not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.