Biden, Modi Discussed Ukraine After Indian Leader’s Kyiv Trip

(Bloomberg) — Narendra Modi spoke with President Joe Biden about the Ukraine war Monday following the Indian prime minister’s conciliatory visit to Kyiv and his earlier public embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine,” Modi said in a post on X, without giving additional details.
The White House confirmed the phone call between the two leaders later on Monday.
“It’s safe to say they certainly talked about Ukraine and the prime minister’s trip to Kyiv and the prospects for moving forward in accordance with President Zelenskiy’s plan for a just peace,” White House spokesman John Kirby said, referring to the Ukrainian president, and adding that the US welcomes “any nation that is willing to be helpful.”
Modi, whose country has historic ties to Russia and has for decades relied on Moscow for weapons, signaled his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty during his first visit to the war-torn nation since Russia invaded two years ago. 
The Indian prime minister’s visit to Kyiv last week is being seen as an attempt to balance India’s relations with the US and Russia, roughly a month after his July visit to Moscow angered US officials. Modi literally hugged Putin shortly after Russia was blamed for an attack on the main children’s hospital in Kyiv, which killed at least 38 people, and as Biden hosted NATO heads of state in Washington. 
India, which has ruled out a role mediating an end to Russia’s war, has agreed to relay messages between Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Bloomberg News has previously reported.
–With assistance from Akayla Gardner.
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