PM Narendra Modi reached Kyiv on Friday morning in what is the first visit by an indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. The visit assumes deeper significance as it comes at a time when the region finds itself in the middle of a conflict.
On his arrival at the Hyatt Hotel in Kyiv, PM Modi received a rousing welcome from the Indian community, with many students awaiting his arrival and hoping for a glimpse of the Prime Minister.
In a post on X, Modi tweeted, “Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome.”
Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, stated on X, “PM Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv this morning on a landmark official visit.”
This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
An MBBS student studying in Kyiv who was among the waiting Indian contingent, said, “I was here when the war started. Returning after the war ended, I was one of the only Indian students left here. I feel I got a lot of opportunities here, especially during the time of my surgery cycle and preparations. I would spend days inside the hospital, assisting my teachers with 5-6 surgeries daily. It would mostly be people from Odesa coming here to the speciality department in Kyiv, mostly soldiers who were wounded. Some would have to get laparotomy done, some had severe infections.”
On being asked about the challenges he faced, he said, “Definitely, we faced plenty of challenges during treatment. In 2022, there used to be daily air alerts as well as attacks in the area. I would mostly stay at the hospitals since it was safe in the bunkers which were made underground for doctors to stay in. There would also be food shortages, but that wasn’t as challenging as the attacks themselves.”
Another member of the Indian diaspora said, “The blasts weren’t just scary because of the attacks themselves – they would shake you up from inside. Things you can’t even imagine were happening live – 4-5 attacks every single day. Drones and ballistic missiles coming right at you and exploding in front of your very eyes. We wouldn’t be able to sleep at night amid worries of what might happen.”
Abhinav Parwar, a student doctor studying in Kyiv, said, “It’s been roughly six years since I’ve been in Ukraine and completed my studies. Along with my practice here, we get to see that most students here are dentists, as a result, there’s a major shortage of surgeons and overall medical students who are not studying dentistry, and more doctors are definitely needed here.”
On being asked about the challenges being faced by the community in Kyiv, he said, “It’s important to note that the people here have been facing these shortages here for a long time. The fact that the war started here in 2014, now the second phase has started again in 2024. What we must note is that the lives of the people here are extremely challenging, and they still try to do their best to live their lives normally despite all the problems in their daily lives. Even though the government wants to support its people, their lives remain tough.”
“As students here, we do our best by helping them with medicine as well as boosting their economy. We also are trying our best to help the locals here as much as we can as doctors, the least we can do is by providing them knowledge so they can treat themselves without anyone’s help in case they’re on their own.”