India’s Modi visits Ukraine this week, after a recent trip to Moscow. Here’s what it could mean

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a historic visit Friday to Ukraine, a month and a half after he traveled to Moscow to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Officials in India and Ukraine have said the visit will focus on boosting economic ties and cooperation in defense, science and technology.

But analysts say the visit could also be an attempt to have India strike a more neutral stance after what has been seen as a lean toward Russia, given Modi’s recent Moscow visit, his country’s historic, Cold War-era relationship with Russia and New Delhi’s avoidance of directly criticizing Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Why is Modi visiting Ukraine?

Modi’s landmark visit is the first to Ukraine from a prime minister of India since the country established diplomatic relations with Ukraine over 30 years ago. He will arrive in Kyiv after a two-day visit to Poland.

Analysts say the timing of the trip is aimed at controlling fallout from the Indian leader’s July 8-9 trip to Russia.

That trip coincided with a NATO leaders gathering in Washington and Russian missile strikes on a hospital in Ukraine that killed scores of people, drawing strong criticism from Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader called Modi’s meeting “a huge disappointment” and “a devastating blow to peace efforts” after the Indian leader was seen hugging Putin.

While Modi did not address the missile strikes directly, he alluded to the bloodshed while sitting next to Putin, and condemned any attack that harms innocent people.

This week’s Ukraine trip represents India “trying to balance the situation” after being seen as “tilting towards Russia,” said K C Singh, a strategic affairs expert