India summoned Ukrainian ambassador over Zelensky's comments, media reports

India summoned a Ukrainian envoy over President Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism of a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, the Economic Times newspaper reported on July 16.

Speaking a day after a deadly Russian attack on July 8 that damaged a children's hospital, Zelensky called Modi's trip to Russia and his embrace with the Russian leader "a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts."

The criticism caused displeasure in New Delhi, as the Indian Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador on July 15 to raise the issue, the Economic Times wrote without revealing the source of the information.

India has also postponed a meeting of a joint working group on culture with Ukraine, according to the outlet.

Modi arrived in Moscow on July 8 for talks with Putin, marking his first visit to the country since the start of the full-scale invasion.

New Delhi has been calling for a diplomatic solution to Russia's war against Ukraine but has been simultaneously fostering close economic ties with Moscow. India became one of the chief buyers of Russian oil following Western sanctions, although pressure from U.S. sanctions increasingly threatens this trade.

During his visit, Modi called the attack against the Ohkmatdyt hospital "very terrifying," saying that "when innocent children are killed, the heart bleeds." Despite this implicit rebuke of Putin, the meeting led to a deepening of economic ties and underscored the countries' partnership.

New Delhi and Moscow denied rumors that there had been disagreements between the two leaders after the Indian prime minister's visit ended unexpectedly ahead of schedule.

Ukraine has sought to engage India in peace efforts, but New Delhi has largely stayed on the sidelines. Modi has not personally attended Ukraine's global peace summit in Switzerland, and the Indian representative did not sign the resulting joint communique.

Opinion: Why India’s Modi won’t play the peace negotiator

As world leaders gathered in the U.S. capital for the NATO summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was Modi’s first visit to Russia not just since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but also since 2019.

The Kyiv IndependentSushant Singh