Ukraine’s 1st Deputy Foreign Minister Will Be On 4-Day Visit To India Tomorrow

Emine Dzhaparova, the first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine, will begin a four-day trip to India on Sunday. This will be the first official visit by an Eastern European nation to India since the invasion by Russia started last year. She would speak with Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the official sources.

Both parties are anticipated to discuss their bilateral relationships and share their perspectives on the state of affairs in Ukraine during her visit. During the summit, other global topics of common concern will be tackled. From April 9 to April 12, the Ukrainian minister will visit India for four days.

Dzhaparova will also meet with Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Culture, and Vikram Misri, Deputy National Security Advisor.

Prime Minister Modi has had numerous conversations with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the war in Ukraine broke out in February of last year. In a phone conversation with President Zelenskyy on October 4 of last year, Modi said there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to help with any peace measures. India has maintained that dialogue and discussion are the best means of finding a solution to the issue and has not yet condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the MEA, India and Ukraine have cordial relations and collaborate on many different levels.

The official release of the Ministry of External Affairs, says that India shared warm and friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with Ukraine over the last 30 years of diplomatic relations. Whereas, bilateral cooperation between both countries has made significant progress in trade, education, culture and defence.

It is also expected that the Ukrainian Minister will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Kyiv and suggest New Delhi invite President Volodymyr Zelensky to the G20 Summit in September. The Ukrainian minister will also urge for more humanitarian aid, which will include pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and energy equipment to repair power infrastructure damaged during the Ukrainian war.

Notably, India has voted no on every resolution directed at Russia that has been approved by the various UN bodies, including the UN General Assembly. The most recent one was approved by the UN Human Rights Council on April 4, and it gave the panel of inquiry investigating suspected war crimes by Russia an additional year to complete its work.

India has resisted joining either faction, the latter being the Russia-China axis, despite pressure from the US and the West to do so, and has maintained a consistent foreign policy.

What is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

The Russia-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014, significantly escalated on February 24, 2022, when Russia attacked and annexed areas of Ukraine. Tens of thousands of people have died as a result of the invasion, which also started the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. By June, about 8 million Ukrainians were internally displaced, and by March 2023, more than 8.1 million had left the nation.