New Delhi: In the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a power-packed visit to Kyiv by issuing a joint statement alongside Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with references to the UN Charter and the need to respect “territorial integrity” as well as visiting an exposition mourning the loss of children in the conflict.
The two sides also signed four documents, covering the medical field, agricultural cooperation, humanitarian relations, and culture.
Modi’s visit to Ukraine was the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister to Kyiv.
Modi and Zelenskyy held a three-hour discussion, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in a press briefing Friday, where the conflict with Russia dominated the conversation. The Ukrainian side also raised concerns of India’s large imports of cheap Russian oil amid the war, and the Indian side “explained… the energy market scenario” and the need for stability.
A major highlight was Modi’s visit to an exposition on children at the National Museum of History of Ukraine. “Conflict is particularly devastating for young children,” Modi said.
President @ZelenskyyUa and I paid homage at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv.
Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief. pic.twitter.com/VQH1tun5ok
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2024
When Modi travelled to Moscow last month—a visit that triggered major pushback from the West—it coincided with a Russian strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv. At the time, Zelenskky had criticised Modi and Putin’s hug on the same day, accusing the embrace as a “blow” to peace efforts.
Modi’s Moscow visit had also coincided with the 75th NATO Summit in Washington DC, which sought to shore up support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Also Read: Russia-Ukraine war a gold mine for US, British defence firms — sales rocket, stock prices soar
Inking of four agreements
In the agreement signed on agricultural and food cooperation, the stated objectives include information exchange, joint scientific research, exchange of experience, cooperation in agricultural research, creation of joint working groups etc.
An MoU in the medical field envisages cooperation on medical products, regulation, safe and quality aspects, capacity building, workshops, training, and exchange of visits.
The agreement on Indian humanitarian grant assistance seeks implementation of high impact community development projects. India has already sent over 100 metric tons of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the conflict broke out in February 2022.
The fourth agreement pertains to a four-year cultural cooperation pact spanning 2024-2028. It aims to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries through the promotion of cultural exchange in theatre, music, fine arts, literature, library and museum affairs, as well as protection and promotion of cultural heritage.
Takeaways from joint statement
A joint statement issued by the two leaders made explicit references to the UN charter and the need to respect territorial integrity in context of the Ukraine war—references that were missing from the joint statement issued by Modi and Russian President Putin following the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit last month.
“Prime Minister Modi and President Zelenskyy reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard,” read the statement.
According to the statement, the Ukrainian side also welcomed such participation by India and “highlighted the importance of high-level Indian participation” in the next Peace Summit.
In June, India had attended the Global Peace Summit on the war in Ukraine hosted by Switzerland, though it opted out of the joint communique issued after the meeting.
The Ukrainian side also conveyed that the Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework, adopted at the summit in Switzerland, could serve as a basis for further efforts to promote just peace based on dialogue, diplomacy, and international law.
Other countries like China have also floated their peace plan for the Ukraine conflict in the past.
The statement notably made references to continue military-technical cooperation between Kyiv and New Delhi.
“The leaders agreed to continue to work towards facilitating a stronger relationship between the defence entities in both countries, including through joint collaborations and partnerships for manufacturing in India and cooperation in emerging areas,” read the statement.
The two sides also agreed to hold the second meeting of the Indian-Ukrainian Joint Working Group on Military-Technical Cooperation, established under the 2012 Defence Cooperation Agreement, in the near future in India.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: India’s ‘endeavour’ is to see Ukraine-Russia conflict move to negotiating table, says Jaishankar