NEW DELHI (Reuters) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, broadcaster CNN-News 18 reported on Friday, their first meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
News of the meeting came hours after Modi left New Delhi for Hiroshima, where he will be the most Russia-friendly of global leaders assembled for a summit that is expected to put fresh pressure on Moscow and tighten sanctions against it.
Indian foreign ministry officials could not be immediately be reached to confirm the report or details of the meeting.
India has been invited to the G7 summit as a guest country and Zelenskiy is due to attend the summit on Sunday.
His presence and his calls for greater support in the war with Russia is expected to add urgency to deliberations as leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies look to crack down on Russia’s circumvention of sanctions.
They are expected to announce new sanctions against Moscow and closer collaboration in countering China’s growing international influence.
India has not been as critical of its old ally Russia as some other countries for its invasion of Ukraine, and it has increased its purchases of Russian oil.
New Delhi has sought a diplomatic solution to the conflict while Modi, in comments seen as mildly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, told him in September that now was “not an era of war”.
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during the award ceremony of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen 2023 to the President and the people of Ukraine on May 14, 2023 in Aachen, western Germany. Federico Gambarini/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends an Innovation conference with Israeli and Indian CEOs in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Oded Balilty/Pool/File Photo
