Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Ukraine was a good gesture and was appreciated.

Modi will visit the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on August 23 to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking to the local media, Tharoor, a senior member of the Lok Sabha, said it was good that India was showing some level of concern towards the two conflicting countries, Russia and Ukraine.

“I think many felt that India plays an impartial role in most of the conflicts in the world today and that it would be good to show some level of concern for both sides as clearly as he (Modi) did in Moscow. And to welcome President Zelensky amid the rubble of this country would be a very nice gesture,” said Tharoor, a former minister of state for external affairs.

He added, however, that India could play a role in peacemaking only at the request of the warring countries.

Tharoor said the Prime Minister’s trip to Ukraine was a nice gesture in itself and hoped it would be even better if something good happened in the long run.

“But that should not be the only yardstick,” added the Congress Working Committee (CWC) member.

Tharoor said he was very critical of India’s stance at the beginning of the war as India refused to condemn the violation of a sovereign border and abandonment of the UN Charter. He added that he had to change his stance when India also took a supportive stance towards Ukraine.

“I was quite critical of the principles that India has always stood for. But as a result, India was able to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. We have good relations with both sides of the conflict, so this is a very friendly attitude towards both countries,” Tharoor added.