Ukraine's foreign minister arrived in Delhi today on a two-day visit to boost bilateral ties and cooperation with India, which considers Russia a time-tested Cold War-era ally, the Associated Press reported.
Dmytro Kuleba will meet tomorrow with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as well as with the Deputy National Security Advisor, the Indian Foreign Ministry announced. Today, Kuleba will pay his respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat Memorial Complex.
His visit comes a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom India has so far avoided criticizing over the war in Ukraine. Instead, Delhi emphasized the need for diplomacy and dialogue to end the war and expressed its willingness to contribute to peace efforts.
On March 20, Modi wrote on social media platform X that he had assured Zelensky of India's "consistent support for all efforts for peace and an early end to the ongoing conflict," adding that India would continue to provides humanitarian aid.
This came after Modi spoke to 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, and Modi reiterated that dialogue and peace are the best way forward for the Russo-Ukraine war.
Under Modi, India has sought to portray itself as a rising global player that can mediate between the West and Russia in the war in Ukraine.
In his phone conversation with Modi last week, Zelensky said he encouraged India to participate in the peace summit that Switzerland offered to host.
„Ukraine is interested in strengthening our trade and economic ties with India, especially in the export of agricultural products, aviation cooperation and trade in pharmaceutical and industrial products”, the Ukrainian president stressed in “X”.
At the UN, Delhi abstained from voting against Moscow and after the invasion increased purchases of Russian oil at discounted prices, AP notes.
Meanwhile, India has strengthened its engagement with Western powers such as the US and the European Union. Delhi is trying to reduce its dependence on Moscow for weapons and technology as there are supply disruptions due to the war. Additionally, along with the US, Australia and Japan, India is part of the Quad (Quad) Security Dialogue – an alliance with shared economic and security interests spanning the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
On a visit last year, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Japarova urged India to play a greater role in helping to end Russia's invasion, saying Kiev would “welcome any effort to find authorization of war“.