Friday 13 / September / 2024
New Delhi: “If it can get us to an end to the conflict that comports with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s vision for a just peace, well then, we think that would be helpful.”
This was White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby addressing the media in Washington DC on the historic, geopolitically encouraging visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ukraine.
Arguably, the visit of PM Modi to Ukraine and his warm embraces and shoulder to shoulder walks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or visits to child war victims' memorial are not just for optics. They carry a message to the world and India's all-weather friend Russia too.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages for years and suffering and deaths continue with no sign of a breakthrough yet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ukraine on Friday is one of hope for all- from India skeptics to India advocates.
The words of PM Narendra Modi in Ukraine, while balancing India's strong relationship with Russia, were meaningful.
“We have stayed away from the war with great conviction. This does not mean that we were indifferent. We were not neutral from day one, we have taken a side, and we stand firmly for peace,” Narendra Modi said, while seated alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during his visit to war-torn Ukraine, which was the first-ever visit by an Indian PM since bilateral ties began in 1992.
Modi said India is eager to deepen economic linkages with Ukraine.
Narendra Modi was welcomed to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who embraced the Indian Prime Minister before they started talks on Friday (August 23), and said the Indian leader’s visit to the conflict-hit country was “very friendly” and “historic”.
"Today, history was made. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi made his first visit to Ukraine since our country's independence, on the eve of our Independence Day," Zelenskyy posted on X (formerly Twitter).
As Ukraine pushes for diplomacy, the Ukrainian officials are portraying Modi's visit to the nation as a welcome show of support for their country during the war with Russia.
According to a report by the New York Times (NYT), Kyiv has been pursuing parallel tracks of seeking international backing for its plans for peace talks while capturing Russian territory that Ukrainian officials say could provide leverage in negotiations, if the ground can be held long enough.
Ukraine's diplomacy has focused on outreach to India and China, exploring possible roles for the countries in settlement talks with Russia, NYT reported.
Modi's "historic" visit to Ukraine is said to be an outcome of diplomatic efforts made by Kyiv to engage non-Western nations in potential settlement talks with Moscow, even as Ukraine’s military pressed ahead with an offensive into Russian territory.
According to a joint statement on the Indian PM's visit to Kyiv, Modi and Zelenskyy reportedly discussed the whole gamut of bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest in the meeting in Kyiv, where the two leaders witnessed signing of four agreements.
The four agreements are, Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Food Industry; Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Medical Products Regulation; MoU on Indian Humanitarian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects; and Programme for Cultural Cooperation for 2024-2028, as per reports.
The Indian Prime Minister and Ukrainian President also expressed mutual interest in working towards elevating bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future, and they reaffirmed their commitment to further developing bilateral ties for the benefit of the peoples of both countries based on mutual trust, respect, and openness.
Modi and Zelenskyy reviewed the steady and positive trajectory of bilateral ties that have strengthened significantly over the last three decades, and appreciated the role played by regular engagements between India and Ukraine at various levels.
The leaders also reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the United Nations (UN) Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard.
The Indian PM reiterated New Delhi's principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in June.
Welcoming such participation by India, Zelenskyy highlighted the importance of high-level Indian participation in the next Peace Summit, and conveyed that the Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework, adopted at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, could serve as a basis for further efforts to promote just peace based on dialogue, diplomacy, and international law.
Modi and Zelenskyy appreciated various efforts to ensure global food security, including the Ukrainian humanitarian grain initiative, and emphasized the importance of uninterrupted and unhindered supply of agricultural products to global markets, especially in Asia and Africa.
Narendra Modi reiterated the need for sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have broad acceptability and contribute towards early restoration of peace.
The PM also echoed India’s willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace.
"We had discussions about the ongoing conflict. It is of topmost importance that peace be maintained. A peaceful solution to the conflict is best for humanity," Modi said on his X (formerly Twitter) post.
Narendra Modi, accompanied by Zelenskyy, paid homage at the Martyrologist exposition on children at the National Museum of History of Ukraine in Kyiv. Modi said he was deeply touched by the poignant exposition set up in memory of children who have lost their lives in the conflict. He also expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of young lives and as a mark of respect placed a toy in their memory.
"Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief," the Indian PM said.
The Ukrainian President said, "Our discussions were extensive, including Russia's war against Ukraine and the crucial need for a just peace. We deeply appreciate that the Prime Minister started his visit by honoring the memory of Ukrainian children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression. I am grateful for the humanitarian aid packages India has provided throughout this war."
"It is significant to us that India remains committed to international law and supports our sovereignty and territorial integrity—core principles. India is also involved in our work on the Peace Formula, having been represented at the Peace Summit and participating in relevant groups.
“All of this gives us optimism, and it is important that as many global actors as possible clearly express their stance on the fundamental norms of international law and visit Ukraine to demonstrate their support in tangible terms," he added.
Besides, the leaders discussed enhancement of cooperation in areas such as trade and commerce, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence, education, science and technology, and culture, apart from exploring a stronger partnership in domains such as digital public infrastructure, industry, manufacturing, green energy etc.
Modi and Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of the Indian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation (IGC) in facilitating a future-oriented and stronger economic partnership between the two countries.
Both sides expressed the desire for broadening cooperation on drugs and pharmaceuticals, including in training and sharing of best practices, and welcomed the signing of the MoU between the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control.
Underlining the importance of defence cooperation between India and Ukraine, Modi and Zelenskyy agreed to continue to work towards facilitating a stronger relationship between the defence entities in both countries, including through joint collaborations and partnerships for manufacturing in India and cooperation in emerging areas.
They agreed to hold the second meeting of the Indian-Ukrainian Joint Working Group on Military-Technical Cooperation, established under the 2012 Defence Cooperation Agreement, in the near future in India.
India has an extensive bilateral relationship with Ukraine -- one of the largest countries in Europe -- spanning all spheres of cooperation, and it was one of the first countries to recognize Ukraine.
The Indian government recognized the Republic of Ukraine as a sovereign country in December 1991 after it declared independence when the Soviet Union dissolved, and established diplomatic relations in January 1992.
Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown significantly in the last 25 years, reaching $3.386 billion in 2021-22. Main items of export from Ukraine to India are agricultural products, metallurgical products, plastics and polymers, etc. while pharmaceuticals, machinery, chemicals, food products, etc. are the major Indian exports to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, beyond trade and commerce or the bilateral bonhomie, the visit of PM Modi has generated new positivity amid hopelessness.
As Antonia Colibasanu, a Senior Geopolitical Analyst at Geopolitical Futures and Senior Fellow for Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, puts it: "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv on Friday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a calculated diplomatic move designed to underscore India’s steadfast neutrality on the Ukraine war."
"New Delhi is pursuing a pragmatic approach, and others seem to be following suit," she writes.
