Ukraine's foreign minister will begin a two-day visit to India on Thursday to discuss "global issues", Russia's traditional ally New Delhi said in a statement.

Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba will meet his counterpart S. Jaishankar in New Delhi and also hold talks with India's deputy national security advisor, India's foreign ministry said.

India has shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, even as it has pursued greater security ties with the United States.

New Delhi and Moscow have ties dating back to the Cold War and Russia remains by far the biggest arms supplier to the world's most populous country.

Kuleba will discuss "cooperation on regional and global issues of mutual interest", New Delhi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has faced criticism for purchasing hundreds of millions of barrels of Russian crude since the invasion of Ukraine, thereby bolstering President Vladimir Putin's war-chest.

Modi this month congratulated Putin on his re-election, and said that he was looking forward to boosting ties to develop their "special" relationship.