Facing criticism from the Western world for his recent visit to Russia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Ukraine in August, the Indian media reported today.

An official confirmation is awaited of the Ukraine visit by Modi, which would be his first to that country since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, but it is tentatively scheduled to take place in the last week of August.

The visit follows unhappiness in the Western world over Modi’s visit to Moscow earlier this month. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said Modi’s hug of Russian President Vladimir Putin was not just a “huge disappointment” but also a “devastating blow” to peace efforts.

In June, Modi and Zelensky had met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy.

Modi had chosen Russia for his first bilateral visit in his third term as PM. The visit coincided with the NATO summit in Washington.

Reports of the bombing of a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the day Modi landed in Moscow also didn’t help India’s case with the West.

Following the remarks by Zelenskyy, and with the US raising concerns even in the middle of the visit, Modi specifically raised the issue of violence against children with Putin the next morning.

Besides China, India remains the only major country that has avoided a direct denunciation of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

India has maintained since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022 that it wants to be able to reach out to both sides to stress the need for dialogue and diplomacy in resolving the conflict.

India’s nuanced approach was further underlined at the recent peace summit in Switzerland where India, unlike China, participated but didn’t endorse the outcome document because Russia wasn’t invited to the summit.

Ever since the Ukraine war began, India has consistently maintained that the conflict can be resolved only through dialogue and diplomacy. Modi has repeatedly said, "India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts".

During his meeting with Putin, Modi stressed that no solution to the conflict could be found on the battlefield. "India has always called for respecting the United Nations Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty. There is no solution on the battlefield. Dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward," he had said.