PM Modi pays historic visit to Ukraine; to hold talks with President Zelenskyy
Kyiv (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday began a historic trip to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, in a keenly watched visit that came just six weeks after he travelled to Moscow, and is aimed at exploring ways to find a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
It is the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister after Ukraine became independent in 1991 and his trip comes amid Kyiv's fresh military offensive into Russian territory.
On his arrival following a nearly 10-hour train journey from Poland, Modi was accorded a warm welcome by members of the Indian community at the Hyatt Hotel.
Soon after, Modi visited the Martyrologist Exposition at the Ukraine National Museum where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warmly shook hands with the prime minister and hugged him.
Ahead of his talks with Zelenskyy, Modi also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in the Ukrainian capital.
"Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome," Modi said on 'X'.
Modi will hold both one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Zelenskyy with a focus on bringing peace and stability to Ukraine and the larger region.
The prime minister's visit to Kyiv is seen in many quarters as a diplomatic balancing act as his trip to Russia triggered anguish among the Western countries.
Following talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Modi said on Thursday that the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of "deep concern" and that "dialogue and diplomacy" is the way forward to restore peace.
"This is India's firm belief that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. In any crisis, the loss of lives of innocent people has become the biggest challenge for the whole of humanity," he said.
"We support dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability. For this, India, along with its friendly countries, is ready to provide all possible support," he said in a media statement.
Modi held talks with Zelenskyy in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia.
In the meeting, Modi conveyed to the Ukrainian President that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict and that the way to peace is through "dialogue and diplomacy".
Modi also told Zelenskyy that India believes in a "human-centric" approach to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
In the meeting, the Ukrainian president invited the prime minister to visit Kyiv.
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Cummins doubtful for T20 World Cup? It's quite grey right now, says Aus head coach
Melbourne (PTI): Australia skipper Pat Cummins' chances of playing at next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka are "quite grey at the moment" as he battles a back stress issue that has affected his participation in the ongoing Ashes series against England.
Cummins returned to play the third Ashes Test in Adelaide after missing the opening two matches, picking up six wickets to help Australia clinch the series 3-0.
However, the Australian Test and ODI skipper will take no further part in the series and even his participation at the T20 World Cup is also uncertain. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is Australia's T20I captain.
"Looking forward to the World Cup, whether he will be there or not, I can't really say. It's quite grey at the moment. We're hopeful," head coach Andrew McDonald was quoted as saying by 'ESPNCricinfo'.
The fast bowler was diagnosed with a lumbar stress reaction during Australia's tour of the West Indies in July. He underwent rehabilitation before being cleared for a carefully managed return in Adelaide.
"He's pulled up fine. He won't play any part in the rest of the series and that was a discussion that we had a long time out around his return," McDonald said.
"We were taking on some risk and people that reported on that would understand the risk associated with that rebuild. We've now won the series and that was the goal.
"So, to position him for further risk and jeopardise him long-term is not something that we want to do and Pat's really comfortable with that," he added.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7 across India and Sri Lanka with the summit clash set for March 8.
Australia's first match is on February 11 against Ireland at Colombo. Although Cummins captains the Test and ODI teams, all-rounder Mitch Marsh leads Australia in the shortest format.
