Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister to visit India starting Monday

Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emine Dzhaparova will visit India from 9 to 12 April 2022.

“During the visit, Ms. Dzhaparova will hold talks with Shri Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), MEA, where both sides are expected to discuss bilateral relations, exchange views on the current situation in Ukraine and global issues of mutual interest,” according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Minister Dzhaparova will meet with Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi and Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri.

In 2017, then-Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin visited India. MJ Akbar, then serving as Minister of State for External Affairs, visited Ukraine in 2018.

“India shares warm and friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with Ukraine. Over the last 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has made significant progress in the areas of trade, education, culture and defence. The visit will be an occasion to further mutual understanding and interests,” according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have maintained high level contact.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken with his counterpart, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy several times since the commencement of hostilities.

India has provided aid, including humanitarian relief and medical equipment, to Kyiv since 2022. In September last year, India gave Ukraine a 7725 kilogram consignment of humanitarian aid including essential medicines and medical equipment.

However, India has not condemned the Russian invasion nor has it joined the sanctions regime against Moscow. It has also continued purchases of Russian oil, which has become one of the top sources of energy imports for India.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, made critical statements of India’s purchases of Russian oil in 2022. He called India’s decision “morally inappropriate”.