PM Modi In Russia & Ukraine: A Tale Of Two Hugs

New Delhi: It was on July 9 that Narendra Modi visited Moscow and met Vladimir Putin.

And today, that is August 22, the Indian Prime Minister travelled by train from Poland to Kyiv where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Two extremely significant foreign visits by Modi, not least because these are two nations on war for two and a half years. Also, this is the first visit by an Indian PM to Ukraine since it gained independence in August 1991.

Coming as they do six weeks apart, onlookers couldn’t but help notice one prominent similarity – Modi hugging both leaders.

The body language of Putin and Zelensky may have been different, but Modi made sure he didn’t discriminate between his two hosts.

Modi’s hug and firm handshake with Putin was one of the lasting images from his trip to Moscow last month.

The two leaders’ warm embrace drew flak from the West, especially Ukraine.

Zelensky said he was “disappointed to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy hug the world’s most bloody criminal in Moscow.”

Modi’s trip to Moscow coincided with the bombing of a children’s hospital in Kyiv, further angering Ukraine.

On Friday, Modi met a serious and sombre-looking Zelensky, but didn’t hesitate in sharing a warm hug with Ukraine’s President and kept his hand on the latter’s shoulder as the duo visited a memorial for children killed in the war.

Modi’s hug with Putin was questioned by a BBC reporter on Friday, evoking a curt response from India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

“It may not be part of your culture. It is part of our culture. We do embrace. We seem to have a slight cultural gap on what these curtsies mean,” Jaishankar said.

Ukraine and Zelensky have expected a more pro-active role by India in ensuring that Russia’s aggressive and violent actions against its neighbours are curbed.

Whether Modi manages to explain and convince Zelensky about India’s policy remains to be seen.