Modi urges Zelensky to sit down for talks with Russia

Visit of Indian Prime Minister comes at volatile juncture in Russia-Ukraine war

- 

India's Narendra Modi urged President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug 23 to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace as the two leaders met in wartime Kyiv.

The first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history comes at a volatile juncture in the war in Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces still in Russia's western Kursk region following their incursion on Aug 6 and Russian troops grinding out slow but steady advances in Ukraine's east.

The visit follows a trip by Mr Modi to Moscow in July. He said he came to Ukraine with a message of peace and called for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine at the earliest opportunity.

"The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy, and we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis," Mr Modi said.