Narendra Modi will travel to Ukraine, becoming the first Indian leader to visit the war-torn country in some 30 years.

Kyiv is due to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 23, on the eve of Ukrainian Independence Day, and just over a month after Modi visited Moscow.

His visit is sure to envoke mixed feelings among his Ukrainian hosts. India has persevered in maintaining close ties to Russia despite the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, at the cost of significant irritation to Kyiv and its allies.

While Modi has called for peace, he has also refused to directly hold the Kremlin responsible for the war.

This was also illustrated during Modi's trip to Russia in July and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, which coincided with Moscow's deadly attack on a Ukrainian children's hospital.

The Indian prime minister responded with a carefully worded comment.

"When innocent children are killed, the heart bleeds and that pain is very terrifying," Modi said at the time.

India wants peace talks

Experts say that this visit is a balancing act for India, which also gives New Delhi a chance to urge peace negotiations.

 But Indian diplomacy has to maintain a difficult balance.

"Russia is a long-term traditional ally and Ukraine also has had very friendly relations with India. It is a difficult task to manage this, especially because Ukraine has received strong support from the West, with which India also has good relations," Rajiv Bhatia, former Indian ambassador, and a distinguished fellow at the Gateway House think tank, told DW.

"India wants to expand, consolidate and maintain its ties with Russia," he said, adding that New Delhi was not concerned that the Kyiv visit could jeopardize India's relations with Moscow.