Can India broker peace between Russia and Ukraine?

As Narendra Modi heads to Kyiv, some analysts say India could push the two sides towards talks – but it may not want to.

Ahead of India’s recent national elections, misinformation pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backfired, instead exploding into a meme that went viral globally.

The claim — that Modi had managed to engineer a halt in Russia’s war in Ukraine to help evacuate thousands of stranded Indian medical students — was denied by India’s own foreign ministry. The BJP’s assertion was mocked in memes on social media and even by British comedian John Oliver on one of his shows.

Now, months later, Modi will be visiting Ukraine on an unprecedented trip to try and bolster India’s status as a potential peacemaker in the conflict, even if he cannot turn those previously mocked claims into reality. On Wednesday, Modi flew to Poland for a state visit. From there, he will travel by train Thursday night to Kyiv, where he is set to arrive in the early hours of Friday. No Indian prime minister has visited Ukraine since the modern formation of the country following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Modi’s visit to Ukraine comes less than two months after he travelled to Moscow for the first time since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of its smaller neighbour in February 2022. That trip to Russia drew stern criticism from Ukraine and public expressions of displeasure from the United States.

Still, India remains a rare nation that enjoys good relations with both Russia and the West, Ukraine’s principal backer, and some analysts believe Modi could play a role in pushing the two sides towards talks.