Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ukraine on August 23, both capitals announced on Monday without divulging details of his schedule.

Announcing the visit, the Ukrainian President’s office underscored the fact that August 23 is the National Flag Day of Ukraine and added that several documents are expected to be signed.

This will be the first visit by any Indian Premier to Ukraine since India recognised Ukraine’s independence from the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1991 and established diplomatic relations with Kyiv a year later.

Briefing the media, ministry of external affairs secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal sidestepped questions on whether Russia had been informed about this visit. “We have substantive and independent engagement with both Ukraine and Russia and I will leave it at that,” Lal said.

On whether this visit was a balancing effort following Modi’s Russia visit — which had been criticised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and had been frowned upon in western capitals — Lal said: “This visit builds upon the continuing interactions at a very high level and also institutional exchanges between India and Ukraine in various formats over the last couple of years…. India has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine. These partnerships stand on their own. This is not a zero-sum game. The Prime Minister had also travelled to Russia. Many ideas were discussed. The Prime Minister has also met Zelensky on a couple of occasions in the last one year or so.”