Can India bring peace between Russia and Ukraine? Why Ukrainian minister is visiting New Delhi
Can India bring peace between Russia and Ukraine? Why Ukrainian minister is visiting New Delhi
India is hosting a special guest starting today for the next four days and it might have an impact on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister Emine Dzhaparova has arrived in New Delhi today and will hold talks with officials from the Ministry of External Affairs.
As she commences her four-day visit, a first by an Ukrainian official since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, let’s take a closer look at who she is and what is the agenda of her visit.
Who is Emine Dzhaparova?
Emine Dzhaparova currently serves as the First Deputy Foreign Minister in Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government. The 39-year-old was a journalist before entering politics. Between 2011 and 2015, she worked as the deputy editor-in-chief of Zaman news programme and a host of several other programs on the Crimean channel ATR. She also worked as a freelance journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
In 2015, she was appointed as an adviser to the minister of information policy on Crimea and since 10 June 2020 has been serving as the first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine. She is also the chairman of the national commission of Ukraine for UNESCO.
Dzhaparova also looks after the Ukrainian Institute — an important public institution that promotes Ukrainian culture globally and contributes to building a positive image of Ukraine abroad.
What’s on her India agenda?
Dzhaparova is the first official from Ukraine visiting India during the war, which has now entered Day 411. On her arrival, Dzhaparova tweeted that she was “happy to be in the land that gave birth to many sages,saints and gurus”.
The 39-year-old minister held talks with Sanjay Verma Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs on a wide range of subjects, including bilateral relations, views on the current situation in Ukraine and global issues of mutual interest.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister @EmineDzheppar meets @SanjayVermalFS, Secretary-West at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi@MEAIndia @IndiainUkraine
#Ukraine️ #India pic.twitter.com/A7SDvH5L0T— DD News (@DDNewslive) April 10, 2023
After her meeting at South Block, she was quoted as saying that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of democracy, dialogue and diversity and ‘no era of war’ is really important.
Moreover, she also asked that India be more pragmatic in securing its resources, including energy and defence equipment. This was in connection to New Delhi’s decision to purchase oil from Russia despite the Western nations’ sanctions. Incidentally, India’s imports of crude oil from Russia touched a new high of 1.64 million barrels per day in March and is now double of the purchases from Iraq — the nation’s traditional top oil supplier.
According to a report published by The Hindu, Dzhaparova also requested India for more humanitarian aid, which includes medical equipment and medicines and also energy equipment to repair damaged power infrastructure.
Speaking to the press outside South Block, she reiterated the role India could play in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, saying “Supporting Ukraine is the only right choice for true Vishwaguru”.
It is reported that she will also call on Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi and meet Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri. Additionally, the Ukrainian minister may extend an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Kyiv.
The timing of Dzhaparova’s meeting is also significant; her visit comes at a time when India holds the presidency of the G20. Kyiv is expecting an invite to the high table of the G20 summit.
Where does India stand on the war?
Since the war began a year ago in February, India has maintained a neutral stance on the issue, asking for both sides to engage in talks and diplomacy to iron out their differences.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to leaders of both countries — Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin — on multiple occasions and urged both sides to talk out their differences. In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on 4 October last year, Modi had said there can be “no military solution”, and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.
It was the same time that Modi on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan had told Putin “today’s era is not of war”.
New Delhi has also been providing support to Ukraine’s humanitarian needs. However, it has stopped short of condemning Russia for the invasion and has also abstained from voting on resolutions pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine war passed by the United Nations and its varied bodies.
In November last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had visited Moscow and met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who also is the trade minister. It is said that during this visit, Jaishankar attempt at playing mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The US has said that they would welcome New Delhi’s attempts at brokering peace between the two warring nations with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby saying in February, “I think there’s still time for Putin to stop the war. I think there’s still time for it. PM Modi can convince; I will let PM Modi speak to whatever efforts he’s willing to undertake. The US would welcome any effort that could lead to an end of hostilities in Ukraine.”
An ORF report explains that India is best suited at being mediator owing to its non-alignment policy as well as having “healthy relationships with both of the Great Powers most involved in the war: Russia and the US”.
India has also emerged as the voice and conscience of the entire developing world.
It is left to be seen if Emine Dzhaparova’s visit will make India change its stance on the war, but it clearly displays India’s increased role in the conflict.
With inputs from agencies
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