Sunday, 22 December 2024
Sunday, 22 December 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister. PM Modi and Zelenskyy hugged and shook hands as they met at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv.
A warm hug, a silent prayer with folded hands and a small toy.
That was how Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday honoured the memories of children who have lost their lives in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
After a handshake, Modi gave a warm hug to Zelenskyy and as the two leaders walked towards the multimedia Exposition, slid a hand on his shoulder symbolising support for the leader of the war-torn nation.
After watching the multimedia presentations – that gave information about scores of children who died during the conflict – as part of the Exposition, Modi and Zelenskyy both stood silently in front of a wall-like structure which already had a lot of toys placed in memory of the children.
With folded hands, Modi offered a silent prayer before placing a small toy (a doll) at the memorial as the Ukrainian President placed a teddy bear.
In May 2024, UNICEF said that nearly 2,000 children have been killed since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war.
India and Ukraine inked four agreements following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The agreements would provide for cooperation in areas of agriculture, food industry, medicine, culture and human assistance, officials said.
PM Narendra Modi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others during a delegation level meeting, in Kyiv, Ukraine.
In the discussions, Modi reiterated the need for "practical engagement" between all stakeholders to develop an innovative solution that will help build broad acceptability and contribute towards peace and stability in the region.
Jaishankar said the prime minister sought the president's assessment both of the ground situation as well as the diplomatic scenario and Zelenskyy spoke on both issues.
Modi underscored the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s eternal message of peace in building a harmonious society, as he paid floral tribute to the statue of the iconic Indian leader here in war-torn Ukraine.
Modi paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in ‘Oasis of Peace’ park in Kyiv.
"Paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Kyiv. The ideals of Bapu are universal and give hope to millions. May we all follow the path he showed to humanity," Modi wrote on X.
"Remembering Mahatma’s timeless message of peace. PM @narendramodi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in the ‘Oasis of Peace’ park in Kyiv. PM underscored the relevance of Mahatma’s eternal message of peace in building a harmonious society and finding solutions to present-day global challenges," Randhir Jaiswal, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson posted on X.
India has decided to gift four Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri (BHISHM) cubes, a mobile hospital aimed at providing emergency medical care, to Ukraine, officials on Friday said.
Under the umbrella of Project Aarogya Maitri, a programme to provide essential medical supplies to developing countries as humanitarian assistance, the government has created the BHISHM initiative, which provides the means to deliver all basic facilities and equipment for providing emergency medical care in an easy to use and rapidly deployable manner, they noted.
The decision to gift four such cubes to Ukraine was taken prior to the visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ukraine, which is locked in a protracted war with Russia.
The mobile hospital is made through packing all essential medicines and equipment in cubical boxes (15 inches each) in a well-organised manner, and arranged according to the types of injuries and medical issues that could be encountered in a war or natural disaster.
They said these mini cubes are then positioned on a framework that is adjustable, strong and permits multi-mode transport (by air, sea, land and drone). In fact, the mini cubes can be carried by a person as their maximum weight is 20 kg.
One cube, the officials said, has the ability to handle about 200 cases of diverse nature in emergency situations such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, shock, apart from managing initial triage and classification.
It also has the ability to support basic surgeries and can also generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts and duration, they added.
Modi being welcomed by the Indian community members upon his arrival in Kyiv.
Modi arrived in Kyiv from Poland onboard a 'Rail Force One' train that took around 10 hours, in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip.
His Ukraine visit comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Russia during which he held extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin largely with a focus on ending the conflict.
Modi last met Mr Zelenskyy in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia. In the meeting, he conveyed to the Ukrainian President that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through "dialogue and diplomacy".
Earlier Thursday, he held talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and said that the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of "deep concern" and that "dialogue and diplomacy" is the way forward to restore peace.
"This is India's firm belief that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. In any crisis, the loss of lives of innocent people has become the biggest challenge for the whole of humanity," he had said.
