India conveys displeasure to Kyiv over Zelenskyy’s criticism of PM Modi’s visit to Moscow

PTI, Jul 16, 2024, 9:07 AM IST

New Delhi: Days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow, India has conveyed to Kyiv its displeasure over the remarks, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

It is learnt that India’s disappointment over the comments by Zelenskyy was communicated to Ukraine’s mission in Delhi.

New Delhi’s views on the comments (by Zelenskyy) were conveyed to Kyiv, the sources said. There was no official word on the matter yet.

Last Tuesday, the Ukrainian president described Modi’s visit to Moscow as a “huge” disappointment and a “devastating blow” to peace efforts.

In a post on ‘X’, Zelenskyy specifically referred to Russia’s missile attacks on Ukraine including on a children’s hospital in Kyiv.

“A Russian missile struck the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine, targeting young cancer patients. Many were buried under the rubble,” Zelenskyy said.

“It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day,” he said.

Modi visited Moscow on July 8 and 9 in his first trip to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

In his summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi, delivering an unambiguous message, said a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs, guns and bullets.

In his televised opening remarks, Modi said the killing of innocent children is heart-wrenching and very painful in a reference to the strike in the children’s hospital in Kyiv.

“Let’s take war, any conflict or terrorist acts: any person who believes in humanity feels pain when people die, and especially when innocent children die. When we feel such pain, the heart simply explodes, and I had the opportunity to talk about these issues with you yesterday,” Modi told Putin.

The Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv was hit after Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles on cities across Ukraine on July 8. At least 38 people, including two in the hospital, were killed in the strikes.