New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks over the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on Friday and discussed further developing bilateral ties.

Sharing details regarding his telephonic conversation with Kuleba on X, Jaishankar stated, “A good conversation with FM @DmytroKuleba of Ukraine this afternoon. Spoke about further developing our bilateral relationship.”

Dmytro Kuleba also posted about his talks with Mr Jaishankar and recalled his visit to New Delhi earlier this year.

Taking to X, Kuleba stated, “Building on my visit to New Delhi earlier this year and the meeting between President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Modi in Italy, I spoke with my Indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar about the further development of Ukrainian-Indian bilateral relations.

Earlier in March, Kuleba arrived in India for a two-day official visit at the invitation of EAM Jaishankar. During his visit, Kuleba held a meeting with Mr Jaishankar and discussed regional and global matters including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and efforts to achieve a ‘peaceful settlement, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

In June this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy.

During the meeting, PM Modi reiterated India’s commitment to fostering a peaceful resolution to the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine. The leaders engaged in productive discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and addressing the situation in Ukraine, according to MEA release.

In a press release, MEA stated, “The PM conveyed that India continues to encourage peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and reiterated that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

2 years After the Russian war in Ukraine began, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is finally invited to India- does the visit signify a u turn, a rethink or simply rebalancing by New Delhi and Kiev? And given close India Russia ties, What is on the Ukrainian wishlist for India?

This week New Delhi had an unusual visitor: The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba. Unusual because since the beginning of the Ukraine war, and Kuleba’s appointment as FM in 2022

-No Ukrainian Minister at Cabinet level have visited Delhi

-In the part year 2 deputy ministers have visited, but did not change India’s policy

-No Indian minister at any rank has yet visited Kiev during the war, although several ministers were sent to neighbouring countries to help with bringing home Indian students

-MEA secretary Sanjay Verma had visited Ukraine in 2023

-PM Modi has spoken with Ukraine President Zelensky a number of times, met him on the sidelines of the G7 in Hiroshima, but did not accept his request to address the G20 meeting

-In contrast, India and Russia have exchanged a number of ministerial and NSA visits since the war began. PM Modi has not visited Moscow or hosted President Putin, but sent EAM Jaishankar to Russia for a 5 day visit in December

So, what is Ukraine’s FM hoping as the outcomes from his visit? Speaking before he landed in Delhi, here’s what Kuleba said, invoking Mahatma Gandhi to seek Indian support

What does this mean:

-To begin with, Ukraine wants to reset ties with India, that have been strained by Ukraine’s criticism of India’s ties with Russia.

-At the beginning of the war Zelensky was critical of India, especially after India abstained on all UN UNGA UNSC IAEA and HRC votes that condemned Russia’s invasion

-Kuleba himself said India should stop buying oil from Russia, saying it was mixed with the “blood of Ukrainians”, as it funded Russia’s war effort

-Another Zelensky advisor questioned India and China’s intellect in backing Russia

-By ensuring an invitation from a Russian partner, Kuleba is sending a message with the optics of the visit, which will be watched closely in Moscow, especially as Russia reels from the massive terror attack this month, which Russia blamed Kiev for

2. Ukraine wants India to become a part of the peace process

-In January 2024, Zelensky met the Swiss President in Berne, asking him to set up a peace summit that will for the first time seek to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table- the summit is now expected in June

-Russia, that wants a ceasefire and status quo to precede all talks has not indicated it will attend

-As a result western powers, Switzerland and Ukraine want those who they believe have clout with Moscow, like India and China to attend the summit. China says it is considering the invitation, the MEA when asked, has been non-committal.

In particular, they want PM Modi to convey the messages of the summit to President Putin, as India has done in the past on the grain initiative and on nuclear safety issues.

3. And on a bilateral note, the Ukraine FM was seeking not just political support, but concrete assistance

-India has thus far sent 15 consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the war- mainly tents, blankets, medicines

-However, Ukraine wants India to allow exports of more technical goods- especially low cost options of cellphone towers and communication infrastructure to replace those damaged by Russian bombing, medical devices and hospital equipment, as well as construction equipment for reconstruction in the country.

-He also wants Indian companies to be allowed to invest in Ukraine

After the Kuleba-Jaishankar meeting, heres what the two sides said:

Jaishankar said in a tweet that they had exchanged views on initiatives relating to the Ukraine conflict, and discussed cooperation on Trade, health sector and science and technology

So what is the Role India can play, and what’s in it for New Delhi?

By participating in the Swiss Summit,

India can project itself in a global peacemaking role as a responsible interlocutor,

It can leverage its ties with Russia, which have thus far been viewed negatively in the west, in a positive manner and represent the Global South’s emphasis on ensuring food, energy and fertilizer supplies are not disrupted

Counter China’s growing footprint in the space, given Beijing has already proffered its own peace proposal for Ukraine, in the manner it effected an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year

However, India’s abstentions at the UN, its balancing act on the Russian invasion- refusing to criticise Russia’s actions, but sending humanitarian support to Ukraine, and its preference for behind the scenes diplomacy, all indicate that New Delhi may prefer a less visible role

WV Take:

If India aspires for global leadership, the opportunity to play a role in resolving one of the world’s biggest conflicts must not be taken lightly. While there is always the risk of public failure, a prominent role in the peace process would also help India campaign for UN Security Council permanent membership, as well as the more immediate run for temporary member in 2028.

WV Reading Recommendations:

Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin’s Russia by Jade McGlynn

Russia- Ukraine War: The Conflict and Its Global Impact by Ajay Singh

The Russo-Ukrainian War by Serhii Plokhy

The Lost Peace: How the West Failed to Prevent a Second Cold War by Richard Sakwa

The Role of BRICS in Large-Scale Armed Conflict: Building a Multi-Polar World Order by Malte Brosig

Script and Presentation: Suhasini Haidar

Production: Gayatri Menon and Shibu Narayan

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ukraine hopes that India will join a peace summit hosted by Switzerland this summer and also play a role in bringing Russia to the table, said its Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, ahead of a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday.

Mr. Kuleba’s visit, the first such high-level visit from Ukraine since the Russian attacks began in February 2022, is expected to focus on garnering diplomatic and mediatory support from the Modi government, as well as more technical assistance in reconstructing destroyed facilities in the country. Mr. Kuleba arrived in Delhi on Thursday morning and visited Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat. He is due to meet Mr. Jaishankar for a bilateral meeting, and will also meet with Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri on Friday.

The visit by the Ukrainian Minister indicates a shift in both New Delhi and Kiev’s positions — as Mr. Kuleba had earlier been deeply critical of India’s purchases of Russian oil, while the Modi government has not sent any Minister to Kiev since the war began, and did not invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address the G-20 in 2023, as Kiev had requested.

Mr. Kuleba said that Ukraine believes that there is a “change in the perspective” in India’s position on the war now, and hoped that India would play a more proactive role in resolving the conflict through the Ukraine-initiated Swiss peace process.

“I am here because we see a change in the perspective of the war in India. I do believe in the capacity of India to lead, it is a global leader. If India wants to lead it must [take the initiative] that others would follow,” he said in response to a question from The Hindu during a discussion organised by the Delhi-based Council for Strategic and Defence Research (CSDR), adding that India’s confirmation of participation in the peace conference would have an impact on other countries around the world.

“Having India on board [at the Swiss summit] would add legitimacy to the effort,” he said. Pitching also for India to use its influence with Russia, which has not indicated it would join the summit yet, Mr. Kuleba said that he had no doubt that “at some point” talks with Russia would begin. “India can play a role in speaking to Russians about the peace process. I believe Russia needs India more than India needs Russia,” he added.

Sources confirmed that the Swiss government has formally invited India to participate in the conference, currently expected to be held in June, and is due to send its deputy Foreign Minister to Delhi to discuss the details; however, New Delhi has so far not responded to the invitation. When asked on Thursday, the MEA spokesperson said India’s position on peace initiatives was “clear” but did not commit a response to the invitation itself.

“We continue to encourage peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and remain open to engaging all ways and means that would help achieve this objective,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question by The Hindu about the Swiss conference.

Speaking in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week, Mr. Jaishankar did not refer to the conference either but said that other countries had asked India to “pass messages” to Moscow on different aspects of the conflict.

“[India] has had the opportunity to talk to the Russians very frankly and bluntly on the issue [Russia-Ukraine conflict],” he added.

During the bilateral talks, Mr. Kuleba is also expected to raise Ukraine’s long-pending requests for infrastructure and equipment investment from India. Since the war began, India has sent 15 consignments with about 117 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including “medicines, medical equipment, blankets, tents, tarpaulin, solar lamps, dignity kits, sleeping mats, and diesel generator sets”, the government said in parliament in February.

However, permissions for more strategic infrastructure, including communication and transmission equipment for mobile cellular networks, medical equipment and devices, and construction equipment to be exported to Ukraine need a go-ahead from the government, an issue that was discussed during Mr. Kuleba’s meetings in Delhi with tech-industry and infrastructure business leaders.

In August 2022, Ukraine had expressed its disappointment over India’s decision to abstain from all UN resolutions that criticised Russia for the war, and for increasing oil purchases from Russia at discounted rates, which Mr. Kuleba termed as oil mixed with “blood of Ukrainians”.

New Delhi:

As the war with Russia rages on, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has said India has an important global voice and can not only use it to influence the way Moscow behaves but also help other nations join an initiative for peace.

In an expansive interview with NDTV on Thursday during his first visit to the country, the Ukrainian leader also spoke about the need for India to get a seat on the United Nations Security Council, the evolving India-Russia and India-Ukraine relationship, a planned peace summit in Switzerland, and Holi being celebrated on the streets of Kharkiv. 

Mr Kuleba, who is in India on a two-day visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, said it didn’t take him any time to agree to come. “This is because India is a very important player in the world and we need India to restore just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he said.

On Mr Jaishankar’s statements that India and Russia take special care of each other’s interests, but also that the country has given frank messages to Moscow, the Ukrainian foreign minister said the India-Russia is based on the Soviet legacy, which is “extinct and has no future”.

Mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement – which he called “famous words” – that ‘this is not an era of war’, Mr Kuleba said Russia has triggered the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. 

“We understand there are some economic, technological ties between India and Russia and India is a sovereign nation, it has the right to develop relations with any country it deems appropriate. But if India and Russia are so close, it means that India can influence the way Russia behaves and this is one of the reasons why the voice of India is so important but, second, I don’t think this relationship has a future for the reason that I mentioned. I think the Ukrainian-Indian relationship has more (of a) future in that sense,” the minister said. 

India’s Key Role

To a question on what his country would like India to do in the current situation, the minister said New Delhi can use its relations with Russia to stop the war, which has gone on for over two years now. 

“India can play a very important role in bringing together more nations from the Global South… if India sits at the table of the peace formula, the initiative put forward by Ukraine to find a diplomatic solution to the war, then many other nations will feel much safer and comfortable sitting next to India and they will come and join this effort,” he said. 

Mr Kuleba said this will not only enhance “excellent” India-Ukraine ties, but also respect for international law. “That you cannot change borders by force, that you cannot invade your neighbours, that you cannot commit atrocities. This is the world that India will benefit from and this is the world that Russia tries to destroy,” he said. 

The minister also Indicated a softening of Ukraine’s stance on India purchasing Russian oil and said since the transaction is done in rupees, it does not end up benefiting the Russian “war machine”. 

Russian Attack

On last week’s attack on a Moscow concert hall, in which at least 140 people were killed, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that the attackers were heading towards South Ukraine, Mr Kuleba said the attempt at blaming his country was no surprise. 

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist. If there is anything that can be used to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of international community, if there is anything that can be used to mobilise more Russians against Ukrainians, it will be done. This is the attitude and the approach that the Russian leadership has take.. They kept lying to the whole world that they were not going to invade Ukraine, and they did. They lie all the time. So why do you think they are telling the truth this time?

India On Security Council

The Ukrainian minister said that despite the Israel-Gaza war and the Russia-Ukraine war going on simultaneously, his country has got help from Europe and the US. 

“F-16s will arrive in Ukraine soon… Yes, there is a debate in the United States, we all follow it with popcorn in our hands. It’s pretty dramatic, I agree, but both Democrats and Republicans agree that support to Ukraine must continue… Even if anyone wants the US to completely isolate itself and focus entirely on domestic issues, this is simply impossible. This is not how the world works. So the United States will continue to be involved in fixing the world,” he said.

To a question on whether the United Nations is losing its relevance given the continuation of the two wars, he said criticising the UN would be an easy thing. “I will not resort to this easy exercise because the war taught us that only difficult exercises are worth spending your energy on,” he said.

The minister added, however, that the UN is struggling because the balance of power inside the organisation is “broken” and things need to change.  

“Every new death as a result of a war in the world is another nail in the coffin of the United Nations. The UN is trying its best, but it just can’t because it gets paralysed if there is no agreement among key stakeholders… It needs to change. I firmly believe that Russia must be out of the UN Security Council. India must be in. Other countries should become permanent members,” he said. 

Can Medical Students Return?

Asked when Indian medical students will be able to go back to Ukraine, Mr Kulabe used the example of being treated by an Indian doctor a month ago as an example of the importance of India-Ukraine ties.  

“It was an Indian, a young lady, who studied in Ukraine, who stayed in Ukraine, also during the war. And you have to understand that while many Indian students come back to India after studying in Ukraine to help their communities, others stay and become part of our community, of our society. Kharkiv, a beautiful city in eastern Ukraine, was the capital of the Holi festival in Ukraine,” he said. 

“Every year, Indian students together with Ukrainian students turned the streets and the squares of Kharkiv into an Indian city by celebrating Holi. Today, the city is being systematically destroyed by Russia on a daily basis… We want Holi to be celebrated on the streets of Kharkiv again. We don’t want to see Russian bombs there, not to mention Russian soldiers,” the minister said. 

“And we took measures to allow foreign students to study in other parts of Ukraine. It’s because we consider them part of our society and we greatly value this part of our bilateral cooperation,” he emphasised. 

Attempts At Peace

On the threat of a World War, which has been flagged several times by Mr Putin, the Ukrainian foreign minister said it could be rhetoric. 

“I think President Putin loves his lavish life too much to put it at the risk of extinction by resorting to a third world war. But, of course, in order to persuade countries not to help Ukraine, he will continue to heat up his rhetoric. This is just rhetoric,” he claimed. 

A peace summit is being planned in Switzerland at Ukraine’s request and Mr Kuleba said India’s presence there will be critical. “(It will be) crucial and this is one of the reasons I am here. India has been a part of preparatory coordination meetings and President Voldymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Modi discussed the summit in their phone conversation.”

Stating that the summit is based on a UN General Assembly resolution of October 2022 on the main principles of restoring peace in Ukraine, Mr Kuleba pointed out that 143 nations had voted in its favour. 

“It doesn’t say anything more than what is already said in this resolution. So those countries who voted for this resolution should face no problem in supporting what is written in the peace formula. And 143 is a big number,” he said.

Stressing that some of the main points of the formula are food security, energy security, exchange of prisoners, return of deported children and accountability for the crimes committed, the minister said the main aim is the end of the war. 

“So basically the peace formula is a menu that addresses all major problems caused by the large-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine. And we designed this menu, I deliberately use the word ‘menu’, in a way that any country can pick up the issue that it wants to work on. For example, you want to work on the exchange of prisoners, but you do not want to work on bringing Russian leadership to account for war crimes committed in Ukraine. And that’s fine… It allows us to have more countries on board,” he said. 

Lessons From The Mahatma

Asked about a video he had posted with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi behind him – in which he spoke of the freedom fighter’s legacy- and what he expects to achieve in the conversations with Mr Jaishankar and others in the government, the minister said he expects a candid exchange. 

Mr Kulabe said, “We will have a very candid conversation, about all the good things, and the things that we dislike in our policies – I mean in Ukrainian policy, but also in Indian policy. But, since I will be seeing Dr Jaishankar tomorrow, I can give him a heads up to our conversation thanks to your question. My point is very simple. Very few believed that Mahatma Gandhi would succeed, and India would become an independent nation through a peaceful resistance. And today, many say that Ukraine will not be able to restore its territorial integrity, but the Mahatma succeeded, and Ukraine will succeed as well.”

“Because the truth was on his side, and is on our side today. And I’m sure that India will be on the side of truth again because supporting Ukraine today is supporting the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi – freedom, independence, and belief that if you fight for the right cause, you will eventually succeed, irrespective of how strong your enemy is,” he added. 

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister arrived in New Delhi on March 28 for a two-day visit to boost bilateral ties and cooperation with India, which considers Russia a time-tested ally from the Cold War-era.

Dmytro Kuleba will meet with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on March 29, as well as the deputy national security advisor, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. On March 28, Mr. Kuleba will pay his respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat memorial site.

His visit comes a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladmir Putin, whom India has so far avoided criticising over the war in Ukraine. Instead, New Delhi, has stressed the need for diplomacy and dialogue on ending the war and has expressed its willingness to contribute to peace efforts.

On March 20, PM Modi posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to say he had expressed to Mr. Zelenskyy “India’s consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing in an early end to the ongoing conflict,” adding that the country will continue to provide humanitarian assistance.

This came after Mr. Modi spoke to Mr. Putin to congratulate him on his re-election as President. According to a statement from India’s Foreign Ministry, the two leaders agreed to further strengthen their relationship, while Mr. Modi reiterated that dialogue and peace was the best way forward for the Russia-Ukraine war.

Under Mr. Modi, India has promoted itself as a rising global player who can mediate between the West and Russia on the war in Ukraine.

In his phone call with PM Modi last week, Mr. Zelenskyy said he encouraged India to participate in the Peace Summit that Switzerland has offered to organise.

Palestinians denied of homeland, India talks to Russia bluntly: Jaishankar

“Ukraine is interested in strengthening our trade and economic ties with India, particularly in agricultural exports, aviation cooperation, and pharmaceutical and industrial product trade,” the Ukrainian President said in a post on X.

At the United Nations, New Delhi, has refrained from voting against Moscow, and has ramped up its purchases of Russian oil at discounted prices following the invasion.

Meanwhile, India has stepped up its engagements with Western powers like the United States and the European Union. New Delhi has been trying to reduce its dependance on Moscow for arms and technology because of disruptions in supplies due to the war. India is also part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, along with the U.S., Australia and Japan.

On a visit last year, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova urged India to play a bigger role in helping end Russia’s invasion, saying Kyiv would “welcome any effort that is directed at resolving the war.”

Image used for representational purpose only. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Pakistan has rejected a report claiming that it sold arms and ammunition to Ukraine in order to secure a crucial bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on September 18 rejected as “baseless and fabricated” the Intercept report saying that cash-strapped Pakistan provided arms to the U.S. to get its support to clinch a $3 billion deal with the IMF towards the end of June to avoid default.

The Intercept, an investigative website, on Sunday reported that “secret Pakistani arms sales to the U.S. helped facilitate a controversial bailout from the IMF earlier this year.

The report said that the arms sales were “made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military — marking Pakistani involvement in a conflict it had faced U.S. pressure to take sides on”.

Pakistan has struggled to maintain a balance in ties with the Kremlin and Washington since the Russia-Ukraine crisis began earlier last year.

“The IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan was successfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement difficult but essential economic reforms. Giving any other colour to these negotiations is disingenuous,” Dawn News quoted Ms. Baloch as saying.

Ms. Baloch said Pakistan maintained a policy of “strict neutrality” in the dispute between the two countries and did not provide them any arms or ammunition in that context. “Pakistan’s defence exports are always accompanied by strict end-user requirements,” she said.

During a visit to Pakistan in July, Ukra­inian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had rejected similar reports that the cash-strapped country was supplying arms to Ukraine to support its military during the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to Dawn. He had clarified that the two nations had no deal for the supply of arms and ammunition.

Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had also expressed similar views, maintaining that Pakistan had not signed any agreement with Ukraine for military supplies since the war began.

In July, the IMF transferred $1.2 billion to cash-strapped Pakistan, part of the $3 billion bailout programme for nine months to support the government’s efforts to stabilise the country’s ailing economy.