Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Ukraine on Friday, just weeks after his recent trip to Russia, signaling diplomatic engagement in the region.

This week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine will receive a visit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It follows the former’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow several weeks ago.

On Monday, the Indian foreign ministry announced that Modi will visit on Friday – marking the first time an Indian leader has done so in over 30 years.

During a briefing in New Delhi, Tanmaya Lal, a senior official at the Ministry of External Affairs stated that Modi’s visit will offer the chance for both leaders to converse about partnerships regarding defense, economic and business associations as well as science and technology amongst other sectors.

Modi’s visit to Ukraine marks his first, during which several cooperation documents will be signed and bilateral as well as multilateral matters discussed. This was announced by Ukraine’s Presidential Office.

Modi’s visit to Ukraine occurred one month following Zelenskyy’s condemnation of his two-day trip to Moscow in July. During that trip, Modi met with Putin on the same day Russian missiles targeted Ukraine and caused numerous casualties.

The meeting was referred to by Zelenskyy as a major letdown and a severe setback for peace initiatives, witnessing the leader of the biggest democracy embracing one of Moscow’s most violent criminals on that day. In addition, he reprimanded Modi for hugging Putin at their gathering.

During his trip, Modi did not directly mention the strikes. However, in referring to his meeting with Putin, he hinted at the violence that had taken place.

Modi expressed that whether it’s war, conflict, or an act of terrorism, anyone who values humanity is distressed by the loss of life. He shared that when innocent children are victims and witness them dying before their eyes,the pain they feel in their heart is immense and unbearable.

Rather than denouncing Russia’s invasion, India has encouraged both Ukraine and Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Lal stated on Monday that the conflict persists and they are of the opinion that dialogue and diplomacy are crucial for achieving a resolution.

India has been striving to maintain a harmonious relationship with both its neighboring country Russia and the Western allies, particularly the United States. However, despite US’ efforts to push India towards condemning Russia’s war activities, it hasn’t yielded much outcome so far.

As US and European countries try to restrict the access of Russian energy sector on a global scale, India has taken advantage by becoming the biggest purchaser of Russian weapons as well as availing cheaper oil from Russia.

Numerous non-Western nations have expressed their disapproval of Russia’s war but also reject the idea that they must choose between two opposing factions, which aligns with India’s approach of seeking strong relationships with both the West and Russia.

Many people have found arguments related to concepts like human rights and international law uninspiring or contradictory. This is due to the ongoing Western assistance for Israel’s military actions in Gaza despite claims of substantial violations of these fundamental principles.