Historic India-Ukraine agreements: PM Modi, Zelenskyy sign pacts on agriculture, medicine, food and culture

The agreements would provide for cooperation in areas of agriculture, food industry, medicine, culture and humanitarian assistance, officials said.

It is the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister after Ukraine became independent in 1991, and his trip comes amid Kyiv’s fresh military offensive in Russia’s western Kursk region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India had not been “neutral or an indifferent bystander” during the Russia-Ukraine war and was always on the side of peace.

During an interaction with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Modi reiterated India’s position that the conflict can be resolved only through dialogue and diplomacy. He added that New Delhi is ready to make proactive contributions towards efforts for peace, Reuters quoted the prime minister as saying.

Later, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar revealed details on the bilateral meeting between Modi and the Ukrainian president. “Much of discussions between PM Modi and President Zelenskyy was with regard to the war in Ukraine,” Jaishankar said.

“The leaders also tasked the Intergovernmental Commission, of which Minister Kuleba and I are the co-chairs, to specifically focus on rebuilding our trade and economic relations, which had gone down in recent times. And we certainly look forward to having an early meeting of that body, definitely by the end of this year,” Jaishankar added.

“PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine is historic and we hope President Zelenskyy too will visit India at his convenience well,” he added.

In a gesture of solidarity, India handed over medical support equipment to Ukraine, amounting to a total weight of 22 tonnes. “Today, we handed over cubes containing medical support equipment to Ukraine,” Jaishankar said, highlighting India’s ongoing humanitarian support to the war-torn country.