Ukraine’s Zelenskyy slams PM Modi for ‘hugging’ Russian President Putin: ‘Devastating blow to…’

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “hugging” Russian President Vladimir Putin during their recent meeting. 

Zelenskyy denounced Putin as the “world's most bloody criminal” and expressed his utter dismay and disappointment at the gesture, terming it a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow”.

On Monday, Russia rained missiles across Ukraine, killing at least 37 civilians and damaging Kyiv's main children's hospital in the deadliest air strike in months, officials said.

During his two-day visit to Russia, which started on Monday, PM Modi met with President Putin at the latter's residence in suburban Moscow. Images from their meeting showed the two leaders exchanging hugs and engaging in conversation.

Zelenskyy took to microblogging site X, highlighting the deadly airstrike. 

Ukraine's President wrote, "In Ukraine today, 37 people were killed, three of whom were children, and 170 were injured, including 13 children, as a result of Russia's brutal missile strike. A Russian missile struck the largest children's hospital in Ukraine, targeting young cancer patients. Many were buried under the rubble.

“It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day,” Zelenskyy added.

PM Modi landed in Moscow on Monday for a high-profile visit to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit. This is PM Modi's first trip to the country since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. India has always advocated for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and restore peace.

Prime Minister Modi and President Putin have convened 16 times over the past decade, with their latest in-person meeting occurring at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2022. 

During the discussions with Putin in Moscow, Modi emphasized a commitment to peaceful relations, stating, "This is not an era of war." 

In 2019, Modi conferred upon Putin the prestigious Russian state honour, the 'Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First.'

The war situation between Russia and Ukraine escalated in 2022 when Putin unleashed a special military operation in the eastern part of Ukraine, triggering a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014.