Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday expressed “deep disappointment” over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, equating Modi’s warm welcome in Moscow with reports that Russia had attacked a Ukrainian children’s hospital.
On Monday, Prime Minister Modi began his first official visit to Russia since Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Entertain Modi hosted an informal dinner at the Presidential Palace and formal talks were scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
I would like to thank President Putin for hosting me this evening at Novo-Ogaryovo, and I look forward to our meeting tomorrow, which will no doubt be a major step in further strengthening the friendly ties between India and Russia. pic.twitter.com/eDdgDr0USZ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2024
Russia and India are close allies, with India buying Russian and Soviet weaponry for decades and both countries joining the anti-U.S. BRICS alliance. The Modi government has explicitly rejected pressure from the U.S. and Europe to stop buying Russian oil in protest of the invasion of Ukraine, instead increasing purchases of discounted Russian crude, which it refines and sells at a markup to Western countries.
In contrast, India has struggled to maintain cordial relations with Ukraine. While Prime Minister Modi met with President Zelensky and otherwise engaged in dialogue in the years following the Russian “special operation,” relations have been marred by Ukraine’s refusal to maintain India-Russia ties and bizarre incidents such as Ukrainian government social media accounts sharing “Hinduphobic” illustrations.
Zelensky did not name Modi but posted a message on Twitter referring to Modi’s visit to Russia.
“Today in Ukraine, a brutal Russian missile attack killed 37 people, including 3 children, and injured 170 others, including 13 children,” President Zelenskyy wrote. “The Russian missile struck Ukraine’s largest pediatric hospital, targeting young cancer patients, many of whom were crushed under rubble.”
“It is a great disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embracing the world’s most brutal criminals in Moscow on a day like this,” he concluded, apparently referring to Prime Minister Modi.
A brutal Russian missile attack in Ukraine today left 37 people dead, 3 of whom were children, and 170 injured, including 13 children.
A Russian missile hit Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, targeting young cancer patients. Many… pic.twitter.com/V1k7PEz2rJ
— Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) July 8, 2024
This was the first face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Zelenskyy since the full-scale Russian invasion in May 2023. At the G7 summit, President Zelenskyy was invited to attend despite Ukraine not being a member of the G7.
“Ukraine war is a big issue for the entire world,” PM Modi says Said “It has had a lot of consequences for the whole world,” Zelensky said at the time. “But I don’t see this as just an economic or political issue. For me, it’s a human issue.”
Modi and Zelensky held According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, during their meeting in March, the two “discussed ways to further strengthen India-Ukraine partnership in various fields.”
According to the Indian government, Prime Minister Modi “stressed that India supports all efforts towards an early and peaceful resolution of all issues between the two countries. He added that India will continue to do all it can to support a peaceful resolution.”
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in India worsened significantly in May 2023 after the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense posted an image on social media of a Ukrainian bomb exploding in Russian-occupied Crimea. The image was a stylized illustration of the Hindu goddess Kali in Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress. Clouds created by the bomb formed the skirt of the dress and Kali’s skin, which is traditionally painted blue. Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction, is depicted with her mouth open, tongue out, and wearing a necklace made from the necks of the men she has killed.
The image of a Hindu goddess in a revealing dress outraged Indian internet users, forcing the defence ministry to remove the post.
No significant discussions on Ukraine were held during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Russia, and no response had been received from President Zelensky at the time of writing. Prime Minister Modi updated his social media accounts that his scheduled official meeting with President Putin had concluded on Tuesday.
“During our meeting, we discussed ways to diversify India-Russia cooperation in areas such as trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology and innovation,” Modi wrote. “We attach great importance to promoting connectivity and people-to-people contacts.”
He did not mention Ukraine in his message.
I had productive discussions with President Putin at the Kremlin today. We discussed ways to diversify India-Russia cooperation in areas such as trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology and innovation. We are committed to improving connectivity and… pic.twitter.com/JfiidtNYa8
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 9, 2024
Public remarks between Putin and Modi before their private meeting on Monday also made no reference to the ongoing war. Instead, the two exchanged personal compliments. Putin specifically noted that India has become the world’s most populous country and asserted that Indians are happy with Modi’s rule.
“The important thing is that 23 million babies are born in India every year. This is a very high number even for a country like India. This is the highest figure in the world,” Putin said. The Kremlin A recording of their remarks: “But this isn’t just a number. It shows that people are planning for their families and their lives and that their horizons are expanding. It means people are feeling comfortable and stable, which is really important.”
Putin’s comments seemed like a roundabout criticism of China. Once the world’s most populous country, China has lost its position to India as its birth rate continues to fall due to public discontent with the Communist Party. Many young Chinese have adopted a philosophy known as “prostration,” in which they forgo any career ambitions and forgo marriage or family life, instead living with their parents indefinitely to thwart the Communist Party’s rise to national success.
While China and Russia publicly state that their relations are at an all-time high and that they support each other’s geopolitical ambitions, Putin appears increasingly concerned about China overshadowing Russia. For example, during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán last week, Putin complained that trade between Russia and Hungary had declined significantly as Orbán pursued greater trade ties with China.
China is a member of the BRICS along with India and Russia.
In his address to Putin on Monday, Prime Minister Modi refrained from offering glowing praise beyond calling the leader a “gracious host,” instead reiterating Putin’s positive assessment of his government.
“The people of India who have given me this mandate… I have been in the government for 10 years and my mantra has been reform, implementation and change,” Modi said. “The people of India voted for that mantra and I am confident that I will work triple the effort in my third term.”
On Tuesday, Putin awarded Modi with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, the highest decoration that Russia can bestow on a foreigner.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russia’s highest state decoration, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, in recognition of his contribution to strengthening India-Russia ties, at a special ceremony held at St. Andrew’s Hall in the Kremlin. pic.twitter.com/pRsB210p3H
— Ani (@ANI) July 9, 2024
According to multiple reports on Tuesday, Modi managed to extract at least one concession from Putin on Ukraine during official talks: an end to Russian operations to trick Indians into fighting on the front lines. In March, reports began emerging that online scammers were offering high-paying jobs to Indian nationals, some in Russia and others in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to victims’ families, they were tricked into fighting Ukrainians on the front lines. Members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Russia of using Indians as “cannon fodder” and called on the country’s leadership to take a firm stance against the practice.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) confirmed evidence of the fraud shortly after the families reported it in March.
“The trafficked Indian nationals were trained for combat roles and deployed against their will to forward bases in the Russia-Ukraine war zone,” the CBI said.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal later acknowledged that “several Indian nationals were deceived into cooperating with the Russian military.”
Indian Newspapers Hinduism report Putin announced on Tuesday that he had accepted Modi’s request to end the practice.
“We are looking forward to the release [of Indians in the Russian military] “In the coming weeks, attacks will be launched from the various locations where they are on duty or deployed,” the anonymous “source” claimed.
The Russian government, at the time of writing, was yet to comment on the allegations or on reports that Putin would step in to stop the trafficking of unwilling Indian soldiers.
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