Kiev is asking India to join its vision of a “just peace”, aiming to rally a global effort to push the Kremlin to end its large-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

However, India, according to Politico, is currently one of Russia’s largest trading partners, a major buyer of Russian oil, as well as a provider of about 16 humanitarian aid packages to Ukraine. It continues to state that it remains neutral and calls for peace, but not a “just peace” as Kiev claims.

“A peaceful solution to the conflict is best for humanity,” Modi said. In a joint statement released later, the leaders said that India and Ukraine support the firm principles of international law, respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

Modi has ‘a hug for everyone’

While in Kyiv, Modi signed several agreements, strengthening cooperation with Ukraine in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, humanitarian and cultural sectors. He also met with representatives of the Indian diaspora, visited the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, met with Ukrainian diplomatic officials and embraced Zelensky, as he embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow a month ago.

That first hug dealt a blow to Ukraine’s diplomatic ties with India, as Modi visited Moscow and embraced Putin on the day Russian forces bombed a children’s hospital in Kiev. Although Modi called on Putin to stop the war and said no solution could be found on the battlefield, Zelensky was disappointed by Modi’s friendship with the Russian leader.

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“It is a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embracing the world’s bloodiest criminal in Moscow on such a day,” Zelensky wrote, referring to the deadly Russian attacks last month.