Modi Meets Zelenskyy at G7 Summit, Discusses Trade and Ukraine War

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-Les-Bains, France. The Prime Minister gave insights that the talks focussed on trade, cooperation and also mentioned the Ukrain war said that India will "always be" on the side of peace. "Met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Evian. In recent times, India and Ukraine have been actively developing interaction, which is reflected in various directions of our cooperation" PM Modi said in a post on X. "During today's talks, we discussed various aspects of our cooperation. We both agree that trade ties need to be restored to the level that existed in the pre-war period. It was also confirmed that India will always be on the side of peace, placing the values of humanity above all," he added. Following the meeting, Zelenskyy said India and Ukraine hold “great potential for cooperation” and are already working on several joint initiatives. “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,” he wrote on X. He further added that both sides see scope for expanding industrial and other collaborative projects, noting that “There are good industrial and other projects that we can implement together. We agreed that our teams would work through all the details.” The interaction comes after the two leaders last spoke directly on August 30 last year, when Zelenskyy reached out to PM Modi over a phone call. Following that conversation, Zelenskyy had said India was prepared to contribute constructively and send “the appropriate signal to Russia.” PM Modi had also met Russian President Vladimir Putin two days after that call. Earlier in July 2024, the Prime Minister visited Moscow and told Putin that resolving the Ukraine conflict cannot be achieved on the battlefield, stressing that peace efforts lose direction amid ongoing violence. The following month, he travelled to Kyiv, where he conveyed to Zelenskyy that India believes both Russia and Ukraine should engage directly without delay to work towards ending the war.