Rail One Force and Iron Diplomacy | 02 Sep 2024
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv by train from Poland, with the train dubbed "Rail Force One”.
- Rail Force One is a part of Ukraine’s programme called Iron diplomacy.
- Iron diplomacy refers to the practice of transporting world leaders from Poland through Ukraine via rail since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- The train is run by the state-owned Ukrainian Railways or Ukrzaliznytsia and is painted blue and yellow, the colours of Ukraine’s flag.
- The train travels approximately 700 km southeast from Przemysl, Poland, to Kyiv, taking around 10 hours through the Ukrainian countryside.
- The train has been used by leaders like former British PM Boris Johnson, French President Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, as well as Biden and PM Modi.