India is ready to help end the war in Ukraine, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said as he arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday.
"If India can be of any help, in any manner, we are there," Jaishankar said as he addressed the media alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Sybiha welcomed Jaishankar for what he described as the "first-ever dedicated bilateral visit" of an Indian foreign minister to Ukraine.
"India is a global power and we welcome Prime Minister Modi's call to move from an endless war towards an end to the war. Ukraine stands ready for diplomacy," Sybiha wrote on X, referring to comments the Indian leader made during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan earlier in the week.
Jaishankar's trip to Ukraine comes more than a week after he attended the 27th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
The Indian foreign minister also met Putin during the Russia visit.
Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, New Delhi has been under pressure from Kyiv's Western partners over its cooperation with Moscow, India's decades-long ally.
"This historic moment takes place amid escalating Russian attacks against our cities, port infrastructure, and civil shipping. Our capital is constantly under attack and I appreciate my colleague's brave visit," Sybiha said as he talked about Jaishankar's Kyiv visit.
The Ukrainian minister added that he and Jaishankar discussed the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, global food security, and bilateral cooperation.
"From infrastructure and pharmaceutical sector to technological innovation and digitalisation, we are ready to realise our full potential," Sybiha said.
A trust that runs India's grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya has roped in an Indian Air Force veteran to be the Hindu shrine's first chief executive officer (CEO) in a leadership shake-up following a donation embezzlement row, Indian media reported.
Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, who retired from the Air Force in April 2026, was appointed CEO of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday.
According to news agency ANI, more than 5,000 applicants were vying for the post.
The temple in Uttar Pradesh was inaugurated in 2024 by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fulfilling a key Hindu nationalist pledge.
The temple site has been a controversial flashpoint because it was built on grounds where the 16th-century Babri Masjid, or Mosque of Babur, once stood. The mosque was demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992, triggering bloody riots that left nearly 2,000 people dead.
Mishra's appointment comes after the Ram Temple became embroiled in controversy in recent months following allegations of theft involving donations and offerings worth millions of rupees.
Mishra served as chief of the Indian Air Force's Western Command during the 2025 Indian military strikes, dubbed Operation Sindoor, which New Delhi said targeted "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
"I also consider this the blessings of Lord Ram that after 43 years of service to the nation in the Air Force, He has given me the opportunity to serve Shri Ram Mandir (temple) and Shri Ram bhakt (devotees)," Mishra told news agency ANI.
Opposition slams move
The appointment has also drawn political criticism, particularly in the wake of the donation-related allegations surrounding the temple trust.
The opposition Congress party has questioned Mishra's appointment.
"Will appointing a new CEO or bringing in new people in the Trust bring back the donations by devotees? Has action been taken against the thieves?" Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai said in an interview with ANI.
"Will the retired Air Marshal take action against these thieves and send them to jail? When will the action be taken and the stolen money be brought back?" he added.
Congress leader Imran Masood told news agency PTI that the job was for "saints and seers."
"Now, instead of saints and seers working inside the Ram Temple, a retired Air Marshal will be doing the work," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he does not believe India and Iran are discussing a trade deal, two days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO in Bishkek.
The Monday meeting between Modi and Pezeshkian was their first since the start of the Iran war.
Rubio reacted to the leaders' meeting during an interview on "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio on Wednesday.
When asked by the host whether New Delhi and Tehran were pursuing some form of trade deal, Rubio said: "Well, I don't think there's a trade deal between India and Iran. Obviously, there are - countries all develop their own foreign policy, and many countries around the world talk to the Iranian regime."
Later in the interview, the secretary of state issued a sanctions warning and reiterated US President Donald Trump's stance that no nation should help Iran evade sanctions.
"No country should be out there helping them create mechanisms by which they can generate revenue that they will then use to sponsor terrorism and try to build a nuclear weapon. And if countries decide to do that, then we're going to have to sanction them too," Rubio said.
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reached the Polish capital of Warsaw as he kickstarts an official visit to Poland and Ukraine on Thursday.
During the three-day tour, which runs until Saturday, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for bilateral consultations, the foreign ministry in New Delhi said in a statement.
The ministry added that the visit is focused on "enhancing bilateral relations" and will also provide an opportunity to "exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest."
The foreign minister was greeted at the airport in Warsaw on Wednesday by India's ambassador to Poland, Neeta Bhushan.
Jaishankar's trip to Poland comes amid speculation about a visit by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to India.
Earlier in August, Poland's top envoy to India said that Tusk's visit, which would be his third to New Delhi, would send a strong signal for cooperation.
There is yet to be formal confirmation of Tusk's India tour.
The visit also reflects broader efforts by New Delhi to deepen engagement with Central and Eastern European partners.
Following the Poland leg of his tour, Jaishankar will head to Ukraine.
Jaishankar's Ukraine visit comes after key Modi-Putin meeting
The Ukraine leg of Jaishankar's tour comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday. During the meeting, Modi urged an end to the war in Ukraine.
Ahead of Jaishankar's arrival in Kyiv, Ukraine's First Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said on Tuesday that he had met India's Ambassador to Ukraine, Anjani Kumar, to discuss Kyiv-New Delhi ties and India's role in efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Kyslytsya said he discussed with Kumar Modi's message to Putin in Bishkek, in which the Indian prime minister urged a "move from endless war to end of war" in Ukraine.
"We look forward to continued dialogue with India and to translating this shared interest in peace into concrete steps," Kyslytsya added.
