New Delhi: Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba will be arriving in India Thursday at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. During his maiden visit, he will seek Indian engagement in the reconstruction of the war-torn country.
“India is welcomed to engage with Ukraine on economic projects now and of course in the reconstruction of the country,” Kuleba said in response to a query from ThePrint during a virtual press conference in Warsaw ahead of his visit.
Securing Indian aid for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which has been embroiled in a war with Russia ever since the latter launched an invasion in February 2022, is expected to figure in the talks during Kuleba’s two-day visit on 28 and 29 March.
The visit would include meetings with both Jaishankar and Indian deputy national security adviser Vikram Misri, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Wednesday.
“During his visit, Foreign Minister Kuleba will have a number of engagements, including official meetings with External Affairs Minister and Deputy NSA to discuss matters pertaining to the bilateral partnership and cooperation on regional and global issues of mutual interest. He is also expected to interact with the business community,” read the statement.
This is the first visit by a Ukrainian foreign minister to India in seven years. It will also include a session of the India-Ukraine Inter-governmental Commission — the first since 2018.
Kuleba’s main agenda is to push for Indian support for an international peace summit Switzerland plans to organise, on Kyiv’s request, in the coming months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed for Indian participation in this summit during his call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
I spoke with Prime Minister @NarendraModi to express gratitude for India's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, humanitarian aid, and active participation in Peace Formula meetings.
It will be important for us to see India attend the inaugural Peace…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 20, 2024
The proposed summit is part of Zelenskyy’s efforts to build international support for his 10-point peace plan with Russia, which was first announced during the G20 leaders’ summit held in Indonesia in November 2022.
The 10-point peace plan includes restoring nuclear safety, ensuring export of Ukrainian food grains, energy security, release of all prisoners, restoring Ukrainian territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities, establishment of special tribunal to to prosecute Russian war crimes, environmental protection, security guarantees for Ukraine and the ending of the war.
Modi in his call with Zelenskyy stated that India supports “all efforts for peace” and for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to end. India has not criticised Russia or Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war.
Given India’s traditional ties with Russia, New Delhi has attempted to maintain neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine war. The Indian government has made clear its support for peace through dialogue.
In September 2022, Modi had, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, told Putin that this is “not an era for war”. He had further said that “peace must prevail”.
Modi met Zelenskyy for the first time since the start of the war on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit at Hiroshima, Japan, in May last year. The Indian PM has not visited Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.
In the past year, Ukrainian deputy minister of foreign affairs Emine Dzhaparova visited New Delhi in April 2023, while Iryna Borovets, another deputy minister of foreign affairs, travelled to India last month for the Raisina Dialogue.
During the virtual press conference, Kuleba said his visit to India “speaks in favour” of seeking ways and “new opportunities” for Ukraine and India going forward.
“The very fact that I am going to India speaks in favour of seeking ways and new opportunities for Ukraine and India to move forward together as two big democracies and who essentially share very fundamental approaches to security and the way the world should function,” he said.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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