ISTANBUL 

Pushing back criticism over India's "silence" on Russia’s war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said New Delhi “supports territorial integrity and sovereignty” of Ukraine.

“We are not neutral,” Modi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Modi added: “Our aim is peace and I have come here with a message of peace.”

He is the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine since the two sides established diplomatic ties in 1991.

Expressing deep pain on civilian casualties, Modi told Zelenskyy: “India stands with Ukraine.”

Ever since Moscow launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine, India has stopped short of condemning Russia's war on its neighbor.

A key ally to the US, India has had historic relations with Russia since the Cold War era.

Modi’s trip to Kyiv comes weeks after he visited Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin.

“For peace, as a friend, I am ready to contribute,” Modi told Zelenskyy, adding that dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward.

“Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief,” Modi said, after paying homage at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv.