Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for Poland’s Rzeszow from capital Warsaw on August 22, 2024. Photo: X/@MEAIndia via PTI

The symbolism and balancing act aside, Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, will focus on cooperation in defence, with India operating a large inventory of military equipment of both Russian and Ukrainian origin.

In the three years since the war in Ukraine, India has seen supplies and spares held up for some time and has attempted to diversify and reduce dependence by turning to domestic companies as well as seeking alternate vendor base in other countries.

The situation has improved since and spares, components and supplies have started coming, though not to the pre-war levels, according to official sources. Both Russia and Ukraine have assured that they would ensure timely deliveries though it is not up to the earlier schedules yet, the sources said.

Sources said Ukraine has several cutting-edge systems and technologies many of which are battle-tested. It has expressed interest in forming joint ventures with Indian companies.

The war in Ukraine in February 2022 impacted all three services of the Indian military that have huge inventories both from Russia and Ukraine. Immediately after the war began, the Indian Army terminated several contracts related to air defence, armour and artillery as it faced escalation in prices from other countries since spares and supplies became scarce and were diverted, shooting up prices, officials said. Further, quality claim resolutions became very time consuming.

The Army turned to indigenous defence manufacturers for smaller components and sub-assemblies. This was also done by the Navy and Indian Air Force (IAF).

“The Army has reached out to domestic vendors, tried to minimise imports of spares, assemblies and so on to the extent possible and diversified the vendor base where domestic options were not available to about 7-8 countries notably Poland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic among others,” a source said. The indigenous push was particularly in small components and ammunitions, officials said.

With Russia, there has been an added element of payments as Russia was shunted out of the global SWIFT system and the rupee-rouble trade couldn’t cater to large payments.

The impact of such tensions is not entirely new as in the past, tensions between Russia and Ukraine had considerably delayed the modernisation of the IAF’s AN-32 transport fleet. Ukraine upgraded over 100 AN-32 transport aircraft of the IAF under a deal finalised in 2009. While upgrade of 45 AN-32s in Ukraine was completed in 2015, remaining aircraft were to be upgraded by IAF Base Repair Depot, Kanpur which got considerably delayed.

For the Indian Navy, probably the impact is as acute, if not more, as over 30 frontline warships are powered by engines from Zorya Nashproekt of Ukraine. Indian Navy drew a roadmap to achieve a certain level of servicing locally in the next few years. In addition, Zorya is tying up with an Indian company to carry out certain level of engine maintenance reducing the need to ship engines to Ukraine, sources stated.

Defence trade between India and Ukraine continued till just before 2022. For instance, after the Balakot air strike in 2019, IAF made emergency procurement of R-27 air to air missiles for its SU-30MKI fighters. At Aero India in February 2021, Ukraine signed four agreements worth $70 million which includes sale of new weapons as well as maintenance and upgrades of existing ones in service with the Indian military, as reported by The Hindu earlier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for Poland’s Rzeszow from capital Warsaw on August 22, 2024. Photo: X/@MEAIndia via PTI

The symbolism and balancing act aside, Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, will focus on cooperation in defence, with India operating a large inventory of military equipment of both Russian and Ukrainian origin.

In the three years since the war in Ukraine, India has seen supplies and spares held up for some time and has attempted to diversify and reduce dependence by turning to domestic companies as well as seeking alternate vendor base in other countries.

The situation has improved since and spares, components and supplies have started coming, though not to the pre-war levels, according to official sources. Both Russia and Ukraine have assured that they would ensure timely deliveries though it is not up to the earlier schedules yet, the sources said.

Sources said Ukraine has several cutting-edge systems and technologies many of which are battle-tested. It has expressed interest in forming joint ventures with Indian companies.

The war in Ukraine in February 2022 impacted all three services of the Indian military that have huge inventories both from Russia and Ukraine. Immediately after the war began, the Indian Army terminated several contracts related to air defence, armour and artillery as it faced escalation in prices from other countries since spares and supplies became scarce and were diverted, shooting up prices, officials said. Further, quality claim resolutions became very time consuming.

The Army turned to indigenous defence manufacturers for smaller components and sub-assemblies. This was also done by the Navy and Indian Air Force (IAF).

“The Army has reached out to domestic vendors, tried to minimise imports of spares, assemblies and so on to the extent possible and diversified the vendor base where domestic options were not available to about 7-8 countries notably Poland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic among others,” a source said. The indigenous push was particularly in small components and ammunitions, officials said.

With Russia, there has been an added element of payments as Russia was shunted out of the global SWIFT system and the rupee-rouble trade couldn’t cater to large payments.

The impact of such tensions is not entirely new as in the past, tensions between Russia and Ukraine had considerably delayed the modernisation of the IAF’s AN-32 transport fleet. Ukraine upgraded over 100 AN-32 transport aircraft of the IAF under a deal finalised in 2009. While upgrade of 45 AN-32s in Ukraine was completed in 2015, remaining aircraft were to be upgraded by IAF Base Repair Depot, Kanpur which got considerably delayed.

For the Indian Navy, probably the impact is as acute, if not more, as over 30 frontline warships are powered by engines from Zorya Nashproekt of Ukraine. Indian Navy drew a roadmap to achieve a certain level of servicing locally in the next few years. In addition, Zorya is tying up with an Indian company to carry out certain level of engine maintenance reducing the need to ship engines to Ukraine, sources stated.

Defence trade between India and Ukraine continued till just before 2022. For instance, after the Balakot air strike in 2019, IAF made emergency procurement of R-27 air to air missiles for its SU-30MKI fighters. At Aero India in February 2021, Ukraine signed four agreements worth $70 million which includes sale of new weapons as well as maintenance and upgrades of existing ones in service with the Indian military, as reported by The Hindu earlier.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma was given additional charge as the U.S.’s Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery last week
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Expressing “delight” at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “important visit” to Kyiv this week, a senior U.S. official, who is visiting New Delhi, said it is clear that the global community has taken a stand against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma was given additional charge as the U.S.’s Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery last week and had travelled to India and Nepal for meetings.

His comments came weeks after a series of critical remarks by the U.S. State Department over Mr. Modi’s visit to Moscow on July 9, indicating that Mr. Modi’s decision to travel to Poland and Ukraine has now been appreciated in Washington.

“I am delighted about this visit and I think it is an important visit,” Mr. Verma said, speaking at a discussion on “The United States and India: A Partnership of Progress and Promise”, held at the Delhi-based Centre For Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), where he laid out recent developments in the bilateral relationship. “What we have witnessed over the last two-and-a-half years is an attempt by Russia to destabilise the global order, to upend the post World War system,” he added, accusing Russia of annexing Ukrainian territory in contravention of international law.

“We understand India’s long relationship with Russia, and India has to make its own determination of where it wants to be on the scale,” Mr. Verma said, while praising Mr. Modi’s statement that this is not a “time for war”. “But this is a very consequential period for the defence of liberty, freedom and the rule of law,” he added, saying later that he “looked forward to the outcomes” of Mr. Modi’s Kyiv visit.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has thus far made no comment about Mr. Modi’s visit to Ukraine, that comes as the Ukrainian army has reportedly made advances into Russia’s Kursk region. The Russian Embassy in India also did not offer a response to Mr. Verma’s comments. On Monday (August 19, 2024), officials of the Ministry of External Affairs had rejected questions on whether U.S. pressure had led to Mr. Modi’s decision to visit Ukraine, saying that India’s ties with Russia and Ukraine were independent of each other and not a “zero-sum game”.

During his visit to the region, that included a stop in Kathmandu, Mr. Verma met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Neither side explicitly mentioned the situation in Ukraine or a potential role for India in the conflict, and Mr. Jaishankar said in a social media post only that they “spoke about the continuing momentum in our bilateral ties, and exchanged views on certain regional and global issues”.

Also Read: Relationship with India remains one of great importance, says Pentagon

In his talk, Mr. Verma covered a number of areas where Indian and U.S. ties have grown in the past few years, making a special mention of joint projects in climate change, advanced technologies, space and cancer research.

Rana extradition request

Meanwhile, in response to a question about the long-pending Indian request for the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, wanted as a co-conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai attack, a U.S. Embassy official confirmed that a U.S. court had rejected his appeal.

“We’re fortunate to have an extradition agreement with the Government of India that allows for extradition between our countries. His [Rana’s] lawyers filed an appeal that you saw was rejected by the courts,” U.S. Embassy spokesperson Chris Elms said, speaking at the same event.

He added that the “case continues to proceed in the legal system in the United States”, but didn’t furnish details over how much longer it could take for Mr. Rana, who has been in custody in a Los Angeles jail since 2020 pending the extradition hearings, to be handed over to India to face trial here.

An overview of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and fires, in Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. File photo
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that demanded that Russia immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and urgently withdraw its military and other unauthorised personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on Thursday, July 11, 2024, with 99 votes in favour, nine against and 60 abstentions, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Egypt, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Those voting against the resolution included Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Russia and Syria.

Also read: What are the risks surrounding Zaporizhzhya, the nuclear power plant in a war zone?

The resolution titled ‘Safety and security of nuclear facilities of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’ demanded that Russia “immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.”

It also demanded that Russia urgently withdraw its military and other unauthorised personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and immediately return the plant to the full control of the sovereign and competent authorities of Ukraine to ensure its safety and security. It called for the “immediate cessation of the attacks” by Russia against the critical energy infrastructure of Ukraine, which increases the risk of a nuclear accident or incident at all nuclear facilities of Ukraine.

The draft resolution was introduced by Ukraine and was sponsored by over 50 member states, including France, Germany and the United States.

It called upon Moscow, until it returns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant of Ukraine to the full control of the sovereign and competent authorities of Ukraine, to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia with timely and full access to all areas at the plant that are important for nuclear safety and security to allow the Agency to report fully on the nuclear safety and security situation at the site.

Resolution do not reflect reality: Russia

In the explanation of the vote before the vote on the resolution, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy said the General Assembly has “unfortunately” adopted many documents that are non-consensual, politicised and do not reflect reality.

“Make no mistake: votes in favour of today’s draft will be regarded by Kyiv, Washington, Brussels and London as evidence of support for their policy of further escalating the Ukrainian conflict to the detriment of steps taken by a sensible part of the international community to find a peaceful, sustainable and long-term solution to the conflict,” he said.

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”.