Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Poland and Ukraine appears to reflect new directions in Indian foreign policy. The visits can be inferred as India’s push for a more proactive engagement with Europe, which has either been traditionally ignored in Indian foreign policy or has only been limited to relations with France, Germany, the UK and Russia. This indicates a vital acknowledgement of the shifting power equations in Europe in India's foreign policy calculus. 

The visit to Poland was the first in 45 years, and the visit to Ukraine was the first since its independence. Both visits seemed to have varied objectives; the former sought to reflect the deepening of bilateral economic cooperation and signalled India's acknowledgement of the emergence of new power centres in Europe. The latter was driven by three major factors: balancing Modi’s visit to Moscow earlier in July, improving bilateral relations, and ascertaining whether New Delhi can potentially have a role in bringing lasting peace to the conflict in Ukraine.

To make sense of the outcomes of PM Modi’s visits to Poland and Ukraine and to answer pressing questions such as what role India can play in the mediation process, ORF is hosting a discussion titled PM Modi’s Visit to Poland and Ukraine: Context and Consequences.

Panelists:

Amb. D. Bala Venkatesh Varma, Former Ambassador of India to Russia
Amb. Neelam Deo, Former Ambassador of India to Denmark and Ivory Coast
Shivali Lawale, Director, Symbiosis School of International Studies Uttara Sahasrabuddhe, Distinguished Fellow, Forum for Integrated National SecuritySachin Pardhe, Assistant Professor, Department of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai
Uttara Sahasrabuddhe, Distinguished Fellow, Forum for Integrated National Security

Moderator: 

Harsh V. Pant, Vice President – Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation, India