The prime minister arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend the annual summit of the G7 grouping in the first leg of his three-nation tour that will also take him to Papua New Guinea and Australia.

In the first in-person meeting since the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that India will do whatever it can to find a resolution for the ongoing war.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Ukraine President Zelenskyy during the G7 summit in Japan on Saturday.

“The war in Ukraine is a big issue around the world. I don’t consider it to be just an economic, or political issue as for me, it is a humanitarian one. India and I will do whatever we can for an early resolution,” PM Modi said during the meeting.

The Prime Minister’s Office shared photographs of the meeting, in which India’s national security advisor Ajit Doval was also present.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday to attend the annual summit of the G7 grouping in the first leg of his three-nation tour that will also take him to Papua New Guinea and Australia. The Ukrainian president is also attending the G7 summit following an invitation by Japan, the current chair of the powerful grouping.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden shared a tight hug as they greeted each other. The brief interaction between the two leaders comes ahead of Modi’s first state visit to the US next month.

In an interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, PM Modi, when asked about his view on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and how India responds to negative reactions regarding its abstention from voting on UN resolutions and increased oil imports from Russia, had said that India advocates for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve disputes and prioritise the well-being of people affected by rising costs of essentials.

“India abstained from UN General Assembly resolutions to condemn the invasion but remains committed to upholding the UN Charter, international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. India supports a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis and is ready to contribute constructively within the UN and beyond,” the prime minister said.