KYIV (AFP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv on Friday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky on a historic visit in which he is expected to push a settlement to end the war with Russia.

Modi is casting himself as a possible peacemaker, two and a half years after Russia invaded and weeks into a major Ukrainian counter-offensive into Russian territory.

“No problem can be resolved on a battlefield,” Modi said ahead of his visit, adding that India supports “dialogue and diplomacy for restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible.”

He is the first Indian premier to visit Ukraine.

A diplomatic breakthrough between Moscow and Kyiv looks more elusive than ever following Ukraine’s shock offensive into Russia’s western Kursk region.

It is also unclear whether Modi himself could be an effective dealmaker, seen by many in Ukraine as too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Modi recently drew fresh condemnation in Kyiv for hugging the Russian leader during a visit to Moscow in July.

The Indian premier said he planned to “share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict” with Zelensky, as well as discuss “deepening the India-Ukraine friendship.”

He was in Poland on Thursday before departing for Ukraine.

“As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region,” Modi said on social media ahead of the visit.

Zelensky has said that “a number of documents are also expected to be signed” during the meeting with Modi.

Modi’s arrival was announced by Ukraine’s state rail operator, which published a video on Facebook of the Indian leader getting off the train in Kyiv.

Modi later said on X: “Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome.”

New Delhi has avoided explicit condemnation of Russia’s 2022 invasion and has abstained on United Nations resolutions that criticize the Kremlin, instead urging both sides to resolve their differences through direct dialogue.

But a peace deal now appears further away than ever before.

Ukraine in 2022 passed a decree ruling out direct talks with Putin, and Moscow recently said it would not countenance talks with Kyiv amid its surprise counter-offensive on Russia’s Kursk region.