After Putin’s visit, will Zelensky come to New Delhi next? India likely to host Ukrainian President in 2026: Report

After Russian President Vladimir Putin's recently concluded two-day visit to India, New Delhi is preparing for a possible visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Zelensky could visit India as early as January 2026, according to a report in The Indian Express.

A visit by Zelensky, nearly a month after Putin's, would be in line with New Delhi’s effort to stay engaged with both sides in the Russia–Ukraine war. In July 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Moscow to meet Putin. A month later, in August, he visited Ukraine and met Zelensky.

Indian and Ukrainian officials have been in talks for several weeks, and New Delhi had reached out to Zelensky’s office even before Putin arrived in India, the report said, quoting people familiar with the developments.

India's calibrated approach to Russia-Ukraine

India’s stand on the Russia–Ukraine war has been one of calibrated balance: it calls for peace, dialogue and respect for sovereignty while avoiding taking sides

PM Narendra Modi said during Putin's visit last week that India is "not neutral” in this war and stands for peace. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has reiterated that violence must cease, that diplomacy is the only way forward, and that India remains committed to contributing to peace.

The timing of the proposed visit, however, will depend on several factors, including the progress of former US President Donald Trump’s peace plan and the situation on the battlefield, the report said. Ukraine’s domestic politics, where President Zelensky’s government is under pressure due to a major corruption scandal, could also play a role.

In August last year, PM Modi visited Ukraine at the invitation of Zelensky in first first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1992.

A joint statement issued following PM Modi's visit to Ukraine stated that both Leaders expressed mutual interest in elevating bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future.

What did the Ukrainian envoy say in August?

In August this year, Ukrainian envoy Oleksandr Polishchuk said PM Modi had invited Zelensky to visit India, adding that the two nations are “trying to agree on a precise date” for the same.

“The Indian Prime Minister invited Zelensky to come to India. Both sides are working on this. We expect President Zelenskyy to be in India, definitely,” Polishchuk said while speaking to reporters on the occasion of Ukraine's national Flag Day, 23 August 2025.

PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again in New York in September last year,

So far, Ukraine has sent Presidents to India three times - 1992, 2002 and 2012.

(With agency inputs)