Russia-Ukraine war latest: India PM Modi visits Kyiv as Putin’s forces suffer significant losses in Kursk

Indian prime minister Nardendra Modi is visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as Russian forces suffer significant losses defending against a cross-border assault in Kursk .

In what is the first time an Indian leader has visited Kyiv since Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Modi has met with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky . The pair visited a memorial to children killed during Russia’s invasion. They both laid soft toys at a shrine to those killed.

The visit, which follows a trip by Modi to Moscow in July, is important for Western-backed Kyiv, which has been trying to nurture diplomatic relations in the Global South in its efforts to secure a fair settlement to end the war.

It comes as Russian troops suffered “tangible” losses in Kursk as Ukraine carried on pushing forward into the region, according to Kyiv’s army.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelesnky visited Ukraine’s Sumy region where his troops launched a shock incursion into Russia ’s Kursk region on 6 August.

Zelensky said he had met his top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, during the visit, nearly two weeks after the cross-border offensive.