Washington, Aug 15 (IANS): The US has expressed support for India's involvment in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and its efforts to bring peace between the two countries, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said here.

Patel made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing potential upcoming travel by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ukraine later this month.

"I will let the (Indian) Prime Minister's office speak to any of his own travels. I don't have anything to offer there," he said during his daily news conference on Wednesday.

"We are in touch with our Indian partners on a number of issues and, of course, would welcome India's engagement in the war between Russia and Ukraine, especially as it relates to ensuring that we get to a just and durable peace that is reflective of what our Ukrainian partners are attempting to do, which is to defend their territorial integrity and sovereignty," Patel added.

PM Modi is likely to visit Poland and Ukraine from August 21 to 23. No official announcement in this regard has been made yet.

Earlier, PM Modi was on an official visit to Russia from July 8-9 and met Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment over PM Modi's visit to Russia, which he termed a "devastating blow to peace efforts".

During his bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Modi raised the issue of killings of children during conflicts and said it is "heart-wrenching" when innocent children die.

The Prime Minister said that everyone who believes in humanity is hurt when there is a loss of lives. As many as 37 children were killed in a recent missile strike at a children's hospital in Kyiv.