President Volodymyr Zelensky and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Aug. 23 to hold a Joint Ukrainian-Indian Working Group meeting on military-technical cooperation.
Modi arrived in Kyiv earlier in the day, the first time an Indian prime minister set foot in Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago.
The Joint Working Group was established by the 2012 Defense Cooperation Agreement. The first meeting was held in Kyiv on June 4-6, 2018.
Kyiv and New Delhi agreed to organize the second working group meeting in India "soon."
The two leaders agreed to continue to work to promote stronger relations between the defense agencies of both countries, including through cooperation and partnerships in manufacturing in India and collaboration in new areas, the joint statement reads.
Following the meeting with Zelensky, the parties announced the signing of four agreements on further cooperation in medicine, agriculture, humanitarian relations, and culture.
The heads of state also commemorated Ukrainian children killed during Russia's full-scale war.
Modi's visit to Ukraine comes just weeks after his trip to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The visit included a widely criticized hug between the two leaders on July 8, hours after Russia bombed the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, killing two people.
A historical ally of Russia, India has maintained its close economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow since February 2022, with bilateral trade reaching a historic high in 2023.
Nate Ostiller
