Jaishankar to Visit Ukraine, Poland from September 3-5 for Bilateral Talks

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will undertake an official visit to Ukraine and Poland from September 3 to 5, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday. During the three-day visit, Jaishankar is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

The MEA said the discussions will focus on strengthening India’s bilateral ties with both countries. The meetings will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments and other issues of mutual interest. Jaishankar’s visit to Ukraine comes amid continued diplomatic efforts to find a way towards ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Ahead of his trip, Ukraine’s First Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Sergiy Kyslytsya, held discussions with India’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Anjani Kumar.

Kyslytsya said the meeting, which was also attended by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Oleksii Sobolev, covered the future of Ukraine-India relations and India’s possible role in efforts to end the ongoing conflict. In a post on X, he also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the time had come to move from a prolonged war towards ending the conflict.

Kyslytsya said Ukraine was looking forward to maintaining its dialogue with India and converting their shared interest in peace into concrete action. The visit follows a recent deadly Russian airstrike in Ukraine in which an Indian citizen was among those killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 12 people died in the overnight attacks, while several others were injured. Following the incident, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv said it was in contact with the victim’s family and was extending assistance for the early repatriation of the mortal remains.

Jaishankar’s Poland visit also assumes significance as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is expected to visit India. Poland’s Ambassador to India, Piotr Antoni Switalski, said last month that preparations for Tusk’s proposed visit were underway. Speaking in New Delhi on August 20, Switalski said the visit would continue the political dialogue between the two countries and could send a positive signal to businesses and other stakeholders about expanding India-Poland cooperation.

The ambassador also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2024 visit to Poland, during which the two countries established a strategic partnership. He said Tusk’s expected visit would build on that relationship and contribute to further strengthening bilateral ties. Jaishankar’s upcoming visit to Ukraine and Poland is therefore expected to provide fresh momentum to India’s engagement with both countries, while also allowing discussions on regional security, international developments and areas of mutual cooperation.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from X/@DrSJaishankar.