Diplomatic tightrope: Red carpet for Putin, now Delhi works on dates for Zelenskyy visit

Sources said discussions between Indian and Ukrainian officials have been ongoing for several weeks, with New Delhi in touch with Zelenskyy’s office even before Putin arrived in India.

The timing and scope of the proposed visit will depend on multiple factors, including how former US President Donald Trump’s peace plan unfolds and developments on the battlefield. Domestic politics in Ukraine, where Zelenskyy’s government is currently under pressure embroiled in a sweeping corruption scandal, could also influence the outcome.

Notably, Ukraine has sent Presidents to India only three times: 1992, 2002 and 2012.

Putin’s visit has drawn close scrutiny from Europe, with several European envoys urging India to use its influence to push Moscow towards ending the war. Delhi, however, consistently maintained that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path forward with Modi framing it as: “India is not neutral, India is on the side of peace.”

India has stayed in touch with both Putin and Zelenskyy since the war began in February 2022. Modi has spoken to Zelenskyy by phone at least eight times, and the two leaders have met on at least four occasions.

Their most recent conversation was on August 30, when Modi reached Tianjin, China, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and was to meet Putin on the sidelines. Sources said India has since remained in touch with both Kyiv and Moscow on evolving peace initiatives, including the latest Trump proposal.

The war has also begun to have a more direct impact on India. The 25 per cent penalty tariffs imposed by Trump for buying Russian oil has forced Delhi to cut its Russian crude imports since September, as secondary sanctions and tariff pressures kicked in.

Modi’s latest remarks to Putin echo language he used during his visit to Ukraine in August 2024, telling Zelenskyy: “We have stayed away from the war, but we are not neutral, we are in favour of peace. We come from the land of Buddha and (Mahatma) Gandhi with a message of peace.”

Putin, for his part, offered few details on their discussions, saying only that they spoke “in detail on the situation in Ukraine” and on US-initiated talks towards a “possible peaceful settlement of this crisis”.

Officials pointed to the readout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after the Modi-Zelenskyy call on August 30 this year, which said Modi had reaffirmed India’s “steadfast and consistent position for peaceful settlement of the conflict” and its readiness to extend “all possible support”.

Modi reiterated that offer after meeting Putin on December 5, saying: “India has always advocated for peace regarding Ukraine. We welcome all efforts being made for a peaceful and lasting resolution of this issue. India has always been ready to contribute and will continue to do so.”

What did not go unnoticed was that the two leaders did not mention the word “war” or “conflict”, and referred to the Ukraine situation as a “crisis”.

This was different from what Modi told Putin in September 2022, months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that “this is not the era of war”. And in July 2024, when they met in Moscow, Modi told Putin that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield”.

Interestingly, there was no mention of the Ukraine war in the joint statement at all.

Sources said that Indian officials had been in touch with the powerful Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s confidant and chief of staff who resigned this week over a corruption scandal. Now that he’s gone, New Delhi is reaching out to new officials in Zelenskyy’s office to pick up the threads and work out mutually convenient dates.