3 min readNew DelhiJun 18, 2026 03:52 AM IST
First published on: Jun 18, 2026 at 03:50 AM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and reiterated that India will “always be on the side of peace, placing the values of humanity over everything else”. The two sides discussed trade and industrial projects, which is a significant upgrade in conversation since the war between Russia and Ukraine began almost four-and-half years ago.
After meeting him on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, PM Modi posted on X: “Met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Evian. In recent times, India and Ukraine have been engaging extensively. This has been reflected in different areas of our cooperation. Our talks today were about reviewing different aspects of our cooperation.”
“We both agree that trade ties need to be restored to what they were in the pre-war time. Also reiterated that India will always be on the side of peace, placing the values of humanity over everything else,” he said, tagging Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian President said, “I met with Prime Minister of India @narendramodi. Our countries have great potential for cooperation, and we are already implementing joint projects. Today, we discussed how to give them even more substance and expand cooperation across various sectors.”
“Importantly, the Prime Minister is interested in developing mutually beneficial relations with Ukraine and sees that this partnership can make our people stronger. There are good industrial and other projects that we can implement together. We agreed that our teams would work through all the details,” Zelenskyy said.
ExplainedEfforts to engage with Kyiv, Moscow
Delhi and Kyiv have been discussing a visit by the Ukrainian President for the last six months now. A Zelenskyy visit would reinforce Delhi’s effort to stay engaged with both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. The timing and scope of the proposed visit will depend on multiple factors, including how Trump’s peace plan unfolds and developments on the battlefield.
India has stayed in touch with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President 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 last conversation was on August 30, when Modi reached Tianjin, China, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and was to meet Putin on the sidelines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (PMO via PTI Photo) 
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