Modi meets Zelenskyy at G7 summit in Evian, says India will be on side of peace

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian on Wednesday, in a bilateral encounter focused on trade, industrial projects and wider cooperation. Modi said India would "always be on the side of peace", according to remarks he posted after the meeting. Zelenskyy said the two countries have "great potential for cooperation" and that their teams would work through the details of expanding it.

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The meeting came as India and Ukraine discussed restoring trade ties to pre-war levels and broadening industrial collaboration. Modi said the talks reviewed different aspects of bilateral cooperation and noted that India and Ukraine have been engaging extensively in recent times. Zelenskyy said there are already joint projects under way and that both sides want to give them "even more substance" across several sectors.

The encounter is notable because it comes more than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. India has maintained contact with both Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, and the latest meeting adds to a pattern of direct engagement between Modi and Zelenskyy. The supporting material says the two leaders have spoken by phone at least eight times and met on at least four occasions.

The discussion also points to the practical dimension of the relationship, with both sides highlighting trade and industrial projects rather than only political messaging. For Ukraine, any expansion of economic ties with India could help diversify international partnerships during wartime. For India, the meeting reinforces its stated position of balancing relations with both Russia and Ukraine while presenting itself as a voice for peace.

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The G7 Summit provided the setting for the latest contact, underscoring how the war in Ukraine remains central to wider diplomatic gatherings. Evian was the venue for the meeting, and the exchange took place alongside other summit diplomacy. The remarks from both leaders suggest that officials are now expected to work on the details of possible cooperation, including industrial initiatives.

What remains unclear is how quickly any of the discussed projects could move forward, or whether the talks will produce concrete announcements in the near term. It is also not clear which trade sectors would be prioritised first. The next developments to watch are follow-up contacts between the two governments and whether their teams can turn the political signal into specific agreements.

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