New Delhi: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in an exclusive interview with ThePrint, said his discussions with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar focused on three key areas, with one of them being India’s crucial “influence” over Russia to help secure a lasting and just peace in the war.
“The participation and support from India is always important, especially if you talk about the freedom of navigation or protection of nuclear energy sites. Your [India’s] position is crucial, because you have influence on Russia. That is why, your support of all these initiatives, initiatives that are aimed to ensure a long and just peace is important,” said Sybiha, on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi Tuesday.
The two ministers also discussed the possibility of establishing an intergovernmental trade commission, and the inauguration of a new Ukrainian consulate general in Mumbai, said Sybiha.
He added: “During my discussions with my Indian counterpart Minister Jaishankar, we agreed to prepare for an intergovernmental commission on trade, apart from constructive discussions on how to increase our bilateral cooperation.”
The Ukrainian foreign minister, who is in India for a 3-day visit starting Monday, is set to travel to Mumbai Wednesday, before departing the country. During his visit to Mumbai, the Ukrainian foreign minister will attend a business-forum devoted to the opening of the new Ukrainian Consulate General in the city, which was jointly inaugurated by Sybiha and Jaishankar Tuesday. Apart from a bilateral meeting with Jaishankar, Sybiha also addressed a session at the Raisina Dialogue.
Russia launched full-scale attacks against Ukraine in February 2022, and the war has been ongoing for over 3 years. India, which has traditional ties with Russia, has maintained that this is “not the era for war” and has called on both Kyiv and Moscow to negotiate an end to the conflict.
However, during the last three years, India’s economic engagement has increased significantly, touching over $65 billion at the end of the 2023-2024 financial year, boosted primarily due to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.
Also read: Raisina Dialogue: Jaishankar reflects on how ‘Pakistan’s Kashmir invasion was made into a dispute’
Focus on economic ties
During the same period, India’s trade with Ukraine has fallen significantly, touching about $713 million, from around $2.5 billion in the 2019-2020 financial year. Sybiha highlighted Kyiv’s keen interest in increasing its economic engagement with India. In the past, India’s largest import from Ukraine was sunflower oil, however, the Ukrainian foreign minister highlighted new areas of cooperation with India, including in technologies and space.
“India, with your lunar mission [Chandrayaan-3], you joined a very prestigious global club. Ukraine played a role in this project, with our engine technologies. With India, we have the potential for trade from land to air and space. We are open and ready for deeper cooperation,” said Sybiha.
The Ukrainian foreign minister added: “We have a strong presence of your companies in Ukraine. They did not leave Ukraine in these challenging times. They have been giving jobs to Ukrainians and that is really important when they believe in our future and the future of Europe.”
For Indian companies, an added incentive, which Sybiha pointed out, is Kyiv’s strong cooperation with the member-states of the European Union (EU), and the potential for joint ventures to develop deeper trade links.
Before US President Donald J. Trump was sworn in, earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the few leaders globally, who was in touch with both the President of Russia Vladimir V. Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The Indian leader made visits to both Moscow and Kyiv in July and August of last year respectively.
“The historic visit of Prime Minister Modi to Kyiv last August was important. It was a signal of solidarity and support and we really appreciate his visit,” said Sybiha of Modi’s visit to Ukraine on 23 August, 2024.
The Ukrainian foreign minister’s visit to India comes at a critical moment in the ongoing war. The new American administration under President Trump has been pushing for an end to the war, pressuring Kyiv to come to the negotiating table with Moscow.
As a part of his efforts, Trump has held two conversations with Putin, and has pushed for a critical minerals deal with Ukraine. While the deal was set to be signed between Trump and Zelenskyy last month, it was deferred following a disastrous Oval Office meeting between the two leaders.
In the aftermath of Zelenskyy’s visit, the US suspended the transfer of arms and sharing of intelligence to Kyiv—a move which has led to serious consequences for Ukraine on the frontlines with Russia. However, earlier this month, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister met with his American counterpart Marco Rubio in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which saw Kyiv agreeing to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire with Russia.
Following the discussions in Jeddah, the US resumed the transfer of arms to Ukraine. Kyiv has maintained that it seeks to end the conflict by the end of this year, however, there have been no direct conversations with Moscow till date.
The reconstruction of Ukraine will cost an estimated $600 billion, which provides an opportunity for businesses to participate in. However, Sybiha made it clear that access to Ukraine’s reconstruction will be given to only businesses from countries, which stood with Kyiv during the war.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: After call with Trump, Putin agrees to partial ceasefire, to not attack Ukraine’s energy Infra