Dymitro Kuleba, Foreign Minister of Ukraine is expected to visit India later this month, a diplomatic source has confirmed. This comes just days after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to Andriy Yermak over the phone. Mr. Yermak is head of the office of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We also understand that in parallel with the ongoing fight waged by our defenders and all our people, we must do everything possible, use all diplomatic opportunities to elaborate a joint plan to achieve a lasting and just peace,” Mr. Yermak had said giving the impression that Ukraine was looking for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The news has added to speculation about the war that has been raging for two years. The war began when Russia launched a military campaign against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 which disrupted the lives of thousands of Indian professionals and students who were based in Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Volodymyr Zelenksy in Hiroshima last year on the sidelines of the G7 summit when Mr. Modi conveyed India’s “clear support for dialogue and diplomacy”. A visit by Mr. Kuleba will be keenly observed as it will be the first visit by a senior Ukrainian official to India since the war began.
India neutral
The war also caused difficulties for the global economy as it caused the commodities crisis that affected supply of fertilisers, food and other items of which both Russia and Ukraine were major global suppliers. Considering the impact India has maintained a neutral position that has been strongly criticised by Mr. Kuleba in the past as India disregarded western sanctions against Russia and intensified energy trading with Russia.
Mr. Kuleba’s criticism of India was particularly noted when in August 2022, he hit out hard at New Delhi for not providing explicit support to Ukraine. “When India purchases Russian crude oil [at a discount], they have to understand that the discount has to be paid in Ukrainian blood. Every barrel of Russian crude that India gets, has a good portion of Ukrainian blood in it. We are friendly and open to India. I supported the evacuation of Indian students. We expected more practical support from India,” he had said while speaking to The Hindu in 17 August 2022.
Subsequently, Ukraine warmed up to India and on 11 April 2023, Emine Dzhaparova, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine visited New Delhi and was hosted at the Indian Council of World Affairs. Ms. Dzhaparova had urged India to “balance” its approach to the war. The issue of Ukraine also cast a shadow over the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023 where the western bloc of countries campaigned aggressively to corner Russia. In this connection, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has been maintaining contact with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Yermak.
Ukraine kept at bay
Ukraine has paid a heavy price in the conflict as it has not been able to dislodge Russian forces from areas where they have entrenched themselves.
Earlier, last week, Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Aleinik visited Delhi and met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. Belarus is a staunch supporter of the Russian war effort in Ukraine and hosts Russian nuclear missiles on its territory.
The war got the attention of the Indian media after The Hindu published reports that several Indians had been conned by spurious recruitment agencies to work as helpers for the Russian military on the battlefront with Ukraine. There were also reports in the initial months of the war that Ukraine had drawn some non-resident Indians who volunteered to operate on behalf of Ukraine. These issues are expected to feature during Mr. Kuleba’s expected visit to India.
