India to persist in providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Indian PM states
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (Photo: Getty Images)
India intends to continue providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which is repelling large-scale military aggression from Russia. New Delhi also supports all peaceful efforts to end the war, according to Twitter (X) of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The head of the Indian government has reported that he held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding strengthening the partnership between the two countries, and the conversation was "good."
"Had a good conversation with President Zelenskyy on strengthening the India-Ukraine partnership," Modi said. He also noted that during the conversation, he expressed "India’s consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict."
"India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance guided by our people-centric approach," Modi's statement reads.
Zelenskyy called on India to participate in the Peace Summit in Switzerland
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in turn, expressed gratitude for the support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, for humanitarian aid, and "active participation of Indian representatives in advisor-level meetings."
In his Telegram post, the head of state noted that during a phone conversation with Modi, he emphasized the importance of India's participation in the inaugural Peace Summit, preparations for which are underway in Switzerland.
"We discussed the development of bilateral relations, one element of which should be a meeting of teams and a session of the Inter-Governmental Commission on cooperation in Delhi in the near future," Zelenskyy said.
The president also highlighted Ukraine's interest in strengthening trade and economic relations with India, particularly in agricultural exports, cooperation in the aviation sector, and trade in pharmaceutical and industrial products.
"Ukraine will also welcome the return of Indian students to Ukrainian educational institutions," added the head of state.
India's position on the Russian war against Ukraine
New Delhi has close ties with Moscow, which have been minimally affected by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. India adeptly navigates Western sanctions and procures discounted Russian oil. In turn, the aggressor nation extensively recruits Indian citizens for the war in Ukraine.
Recently, it was reported that a large human trafficking network in India was uncovered, offering individuals to go to Russia to work as "assistants" in the army, but then forcibly taking them to war against Ukraine.
Earlier, it was reported that Indian state-owned oil refineries were avoiding contractual deliveries of Russian oil due to heightened US sanctions. However, India has resumed importing Russian oil Sokil after a two-month hiatus.
Recently, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Iryna Borovets stated that India was a global representative of the Global South and cooperates with Russia as closely as China does. According to her, to change this situation, new points of cooperation with New Delhi need to be explored and political dialogue needs to be restored.
For more on India's position, read RBC-Ukraine's article "Heading South: How Ukraine seeking allies beyond Europe and US."
