Shaun
As Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his two-day visit to India December 5, New Delhi was preparing the next steps in a careful diplomatic balancing act: moves are afoot to schedule a possible visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to India in the coming months, The Indian Express has learnt. The visit could take place as early as January 2026.
A Zelenskyy visit would reinforce Delhi’s effort to stay engaged with both sides of the Russia–Ukraine war, following the same calibrated approach adopted last year. In July 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Moscow and met Putin; a month later, in August, he had visited Ukraine.
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.
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”.
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”.
