Information
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, embarked on a two-day visit to New Delhi with the aim of enhancing bilateral relations and promoting Kyiv’s peace vision for Ukraine. Scheduled to meet with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the deputy national security adviser, Kuleba also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat memorial site, underscoring the significance of Ukrainian-Indian cooperation. Emphasizing the importance of reinvigorating ties, Kuleba highlighted specific attention to be paid to the Peace Formula, echoing the dialogue between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s stance on the Ukraine conflict has come under scrutiny as Prime Minister Modi engaged in diplomatic talks with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Modi reiterated India’s consistent support for peace efforts and humanitarian assistance in Ukraine while also congratulating Putin on his reelection, reaffirming the strong relationship between India and Russia. Despite Kyiv’s pursuit of a world leader summit to advance its peace plan without Russian involvement, India has maintained a delicate balance, refraining from criticizing its ally Russia and notably increasing its oil purchases from Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, showcasing India’s nuanced approach in navigating between its relationships with Russia and the West.
Source: AFP, Reuters
Assessment
India has clearly taken a pragmatic approach to this conflict, seeing an opportunity to boost its economy with cheap fuel from Russia while also selling supplies and negationing rebuilding with Ukraine. It appears this approach is unlikely to change, though a new wave of sanctions has recently disrupted India’s fuel imports. However, they will revert when a method of delivery becomes available. It will be interesting to see what Ukraine gets out of these recent visits, possibly a new supply of ammunition.
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