Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kiev was his first since Ukraine was re-established as an independent nation amid the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, following a tragic and globally turbulent war.
But by visiting Ukraine and lending his support to President Volodymyr Zelensky as he led the badly hit country in defending its territorial integrity and sovereignty, Modi initiated three important processes: incorporating India into the European pursuit of peace, expanding India's room for maneuver amid the global geopolitical turmoil caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and restoring the ties lost between India and Kiev in the post-Soviet era.
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India in Europe
First, on the issue of ending the war in Ukraine, Modi has not announced any spectacular peace proposals: his long train ride from Warsaw to Ukraine and his long and passionate discussion with President Zelensky on war and peace was a significant moment in itself.
What Kyiv needed was not a new peace plan but Modi's understanding of Ukrainian concerns about its survival as a state, which had not been adequately resonated in India or in the so-called Global South.
Zelensky hopes that Modi's willingness to listen to Ukraine's plea and contribute to peace efforts will help change the political tide in a global south that has stayed away from the war despite its huge economic impact.
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Diplomatic space
Second, as the geopolitical implications of the Ukraine war become clear, Prime Minister Modi's visit to Kiev signals that India will no longer be a passive bystander in a conflict that is changing the world. For five centuries, India has been a party to European wars. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Ukraine underscores India's determination to actively shape the great European and global conflicts of our time.
India is not the only Asian power trying to shift the balance of power in Europe. Prime Minister Modi was travelling from Warsaw to Kiev as Chinese Premier Li Qiang was wrapping up a visit to Moscow, a reminder of China's growing role in shaping the contours of the Ukraine war, which is calling into question not just a new contest between Russia and the West but also the role of India and Beijing in Europe.
As PM Modi arrived in Kiev, Kamala Harris, in a powerful speech accepting the Democratic nomination to be the next US president, voiced her firm commitment to defend Ukraine and strengthen NATO.
The rapturous reception to Harris' candidacy and her tough stance on Ukraine will test the widely held assessment that the US is a “tired giant” waiting to retreat from Europe, a position the Republicans have now challenged by Democrats. The outcome of this debate will have major implications for India's security policy.
If Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Washington this week underscored the growing strategic ties between India and the United States, Prime Minister Modi's back-to-back meetings with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Zelensky underscore India's determination to protect its interests amid the upheaval of a realignment of great power relations.
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Delhi Kiev revival
Finally, PM Modi's visit is also meant to rebuild lost ties between India and Ukraine. India had privileged access to Ukraine during the Soviet era, but Kiev did not inherit India's political affection for the USSR.
The extraordinary goodwill shown to India in Ukraine is reflected in the warm welcome shown to Prime Minister Modi in Kyiv. Prime Minister Modi and President Zelenskyy's pledge to elevate the relationship to a “strategic partnership,” resume economic and defense ties, and revive cultural ties marks an end to a long period of neglect in India-Ukraine relations.
Above all, Modi's visit should help bring more nuance and sophistication to India's discussion of the Ukraine war, which has long been marked by political bias and ignorance about Central European history.
(C. Raja Mohan is visiting research professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and contributing editor, International Affairs, The Indian Express)
