In a diplomatic tightrope walk, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is headed to Ukraine on a bilateral visit on Thursday even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues his engagements with Russia.

Announcing the visit on Wednesday, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said Jaishankar “will undertake an official visit to Ukraine and the Republic of Poland from 3-5 September 2026”.

“During the visit, EAM will hold bilateral consultations with his counterparts, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski of Poland,” the spokesperson said.

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“The visit will focus on enhancing bilateral relations and also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest,” the spokesperson added.

This is Jaishankar’s first standalone visit to Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since February 2022. His last visit, in August 2024, was as part of the official delegation accompanying Modi. In contrast, Jaishankar has visited Russia at least 10 times since 2019.

The EAM’s visit to Ukraine comes at a time when Prime Minister Modi is engaging Russian President Vladimir Putin twice in the span of a fortnight.

Modi and Putin met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit on August 31. They will meet again when the Russian president arrives in India for the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12-13.

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The development assumes significance in the wake of an Indian being killed during Russian attacks on the Ukraine capital on Tuesday, making it the second such death in the country. The safety of Indian nationals in the war-torn region has been a cause of concern for New Delhi, and it has raised the issue with both Moscow and Kyiv.

In fact, after five Indian seafarers were killed in July last year, India and Ukraine had a diplomatic conversation. The latter had then proposed a conversation between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries to discuss the “security situation in the Black Sea region”.

India has always advocated dialogue and diplomacy to bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia war. While its simultaneous and steady engagements with the two warring countries could likely be viewed as New Delhi building an avenue for talks between Moscow and Kyiv, it does not yet have the leverage or the capacity to be a mediator at this point.

That said, the visit could also be aimed at another proposition that India has fielded — i.e. to participate in rebuilding Ukraine in the post-conflict future.

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However, given how Poland is also part of Jaishankar’s itinerary this visit, the move is likely to assuage the concerns of Europe — especially eastern Europe — as New Delhi has been engaging with the European Union on a trade deal.

With Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk scheduled to visit India in October this year, Jaishankar’s visit may also be aimed at preparing the groundwork.