President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. This is the first separate visit by India’s Minister of External Affairs to Ukraine in the history of bilateral relations. Previously, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had visited only as part of a delegation with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on August 23, 2024.
“We are grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war – Russia’s war against Ukraine. This certainly must not be a time of war. Peace is needed. This is India’s clear position,” the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that while the Minister was in Kyiv, Russia once again launched its jet-powered “shaheds,” and thanks to Ukraine’s combat aviation, which shoots down most such drones, the delegation remained safe. Ukraine hopes that other major world powers will also take a clear stance that this war must end and that a reliable peace must be achieved.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar conveyed greetings and best wishes from the Prime Minister of India to the President of Ukraine.
“Of course, concern about this war is something that affects everyone around the world. I think there is a strong desire within the international community to achieve peace,” the Minister noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed him on Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts, including relevant contacts with the United States of America. Ukraine expects that there will soon be an opportunity to hold a meeting with the American side and that it will produce results toward ending the war as soon as possible.
Other important issues discussed included bilateral trade and economic relations. Ukraine and India already have a significant level of trade, which currently stands at $2.6 billion and has potential for further growth. The parties discussed opportunities to develop cooperation, particularly in the agricultural sector, food security, industry, and other areas.
The situation in the Black Sea was also discussed, above all the existing threats to civilian shipping. India’s Minister of External Affairs noted that attacks on vessels have resulted in the deaths of Indian sailors, among others, and that because his country is one of the world’s largest maritime nations, the safety of shipping is a very important issue for India.
“We concur that it is absolutely unacceptable to block food supplies to regions where this is a highly sensitive issue and where people depend on these maritime routes. Russia’s actions aimed at blocking our ports, our food corridor, and our supplies are causing major disruption to global relations. We must all work together to guarantee security,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.