Zelensky Likely to Visit India Amid Russia-Ukraine War
- By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
- Dec 09, 2025
- 526
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to India next month, although official dates are yet to be confirmed. If the visit materialises, it will mark Zelensky’s first trip to India and only the fourth visit by a Ukrainian president to the country. The last such visit took place in 2012, when then President Viktor Yanukovych was in New Delhi.
According to media reports, New Delhi is keen to preserve a calibrated diplomatic balance between Russia and Ukraine—an approach it has consistently maintained since the outbreak of the war. This balancing act was also evident in 2024, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited Moscow to meet President Putin and, a few weeks later, travelled to Kyiv for talks with President Zelensky.
Sources indicate that discussions between Indian and Ukrainian officials have been underway for several weeks, even prior to President Putin’s visit. However, the timing and format of Zelensky’s proposed visit will depend on multiple variables, including the trajectory of former US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan, developments on the battlefield, and the evolving political situation in Ukraine, where the Zelensky administration is currently facing pressure over corruption allegations.
Since the war began in 2022, Prime Minister Modi has remained in regular contact with both President Putin and President Zelensky, engaging through telephone conversations as well as meetings on the sidelines of international forums. During his visit to Ukraine in August 2024, Modi extended a formal invitation to Zelensky to visit India, reiterating that India has consistently stood for peace and dialogue.
The Modi–Zelensky meeting in Kyiv lasted nearly three hours at the Mariinsky Palace. Speaking to the media afterward, Zelensky underlined India’s global stature, stating that as a major power with significant influence, India could play a meaningful role in persuading Russia and contributing to peace efforts.
During his recent interaction with President Putin, Prime Minister Modi again raised the Ukraine issue, emphasising India’s long-standing position in favour of peace and its willingness to assist any credible initiative aimed at ending the hostilities. Notably, in their latest exchange, Modi and Putin refrained from using terms such as “war” or “conflict,” instead referring to the situation as a “crisis.” This subtle shift in language marks a departure from Modi’s earlier remarks in 2022, when he had explicitly stated that “this is not an era of war.”