External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Ukraine and Poland from September 3 to 5 for bilateral consultations with senior leaders of the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.
During the visit, Jaishankar will hold talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral relations and allow the sides to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest, the MEA said.
Ukraine Talks In Focus
The visit comes amid continued diplomatic engagement between India and Ukraine over the war with Russia. Ukraine's First Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Sergiy Kyslytsya, recently held what he described as a "substantive meeting" with India's Ambassador to Ukraine Anjani Kumar.
Kyslytsya said in a post on X on Tuesday that Deputy Head of the Office of the President Oleksii Sobolev also attended the meeting. The discussions covered prospects for India-Ukraine relations, including New Delhi's role in efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, ANI reports.
"Had a substantive meeting with India's Ambassador to Ukraine Anjani Kumar @sahayanjani, together with my colleague, Deputy Head of the Office of the President @OleksiiSobolev. We discussed prospects for Ukraine-India relations, including India's role in efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine," Kyslytsya said.
He said they also discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the time has come to move from an endless war to an end of war".
"We look forward to continued dialogue with India and to translating this shared interest in peace into concrete steps," Kyslytsya said.
Jaishankar's visit assumes significance against this backdrop, with Ukraine publicly looking to India to play a role in efforts towards peace. The talks will provide another opportunity for New Delhi and Kyiv to discuss their bilateral relationship as well as developments surrounding the war.
Indian Killed In Russian Attack
The visit also follows a Russian aerial assault across Ukraine in which an Indian citizen was among 12 people killed, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen, and dozens more were injured in the attack. My condolences to everyone who has lost family and loved ones," Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Following Zelenskyy's statement, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv said it was in touch with the family of the Indian national and was providing all possible assistance for the early repatriation of the mortal remains.
The death of an Indian citizen adds a sensitive dimension to Jaishankar's Ukraine visit, even as the official agenda remains focused on bilateral relations and regional developments.
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Poland Visit Comes Ahead Of Expected Tusk Trip
Jaishankar's visit to Poland comes as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is expected to visit India. Poland's Ambassador to India Piotr Antoni Switalski said on August 20 that Tusk's expected visit would send a strong signal to businesses and other stakeholders that cooperation between the two countries has the "green light".
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Switalski said Poland was keen on the visit and indicated that plans for it had been informally announced.
"We are very much for his visit. I think it was informally announced that there are plans. It is the continuation of our political dialogue," he said.
"Prime Minister Modi was in Poland in 2024; they signed the strategic partnership. It will be the third visit, I think, of Prime Minister Tusk to India... like many foreign leaders, he's very fond of coming to India. He loves India," Switalski added.
The ambassador said preparations for Tusk's visit were underway and expressed hope that it would further strengthen bilateral ties.
With engagements planned in both Ukraine and Poland, Jaishankar's September 3-5 visit puts India's ties with the two European countries in focus at a time when the war in Ukraine continues to figure prominently in New Delhi's diplomatic conversations.
