Indian Council of World Affairs

Friends! 

The war in Ukraine has entered its fourth year in the absence of any credible bilateral talks to find a mutually acceptable solution to bring an end to the devastating loss of life, infrastructure and environment. 

The world understands the global nature of this conflict and therefore, since the beginning of the war, the international community has consistently engaged with both the Ukrainian and Russian stakeholders to bring an early settlement of the war. 

The Indian Council of World Affairs has been actively monitoring the Ukraine war and engaging with delegations from both sides. In April 2023, it hosted Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emina Dzhaparova for a talk on the global implications of the war. That same year, ICWA also interacted with your Council in December and we are happy to host you again. In February 2024, ICWA had the pleasure to listening to the views of Ms Iryana Borovets, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Thus, based on our previous interactions, I look forward to listening to your assessment of the war and understand how the situation has changed since we last interacted. 

The prospects of a mutually acceptable settlement of the Ukraine war continue to look bleak. The shift in US policy with the election of President Trump, a weakening Euro-Atlantic alliance and the recent Russian successes on the battlefield has made the peace process more complex in the absence of security guarantees for Ukraine from any quarter. 

The war has exposed the vulnerabilities of the European countries who are struggling with their own defence insecurities. Europe is in the midst of a great churn both internally and externally. The electoral successes of the far-right parties in many European countries threatens the mainstream European narratives. This alongwith the fast-crumbling trans-Atlantic alliance has forced Europe to reassess its military and defence capabilities. Apart from this, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, post the meeting of your President with President Trump, has commented that ‘we are in an era of re-armament and Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending’. The impact of this re-assessment on the war in Ukraine is yet to be seen. 

Although the main impact of the Ukraine war has been on Ukraine and Europe, its ripple effects have been transnational. Rising fuel prices and disruption in energy and food supply chains have contributed to rising inflation, global food insecurity, energy market volatility and declining economic growth. These adverse impacts of the war have especially been felt by the Global South making it a stakeholder in the conflict. This explains why many of the third-party peace plans for resolution of the war have come from countries like Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and also the African continent. 

India, as a responsible global player and an important member of the Global South, has consistently emphasised the need for peace in Ukraine. From the Indian perspective, an end of the war is urgently needed to stop the endless harm to human lives but also to stabilise the world economy by normalising global supply chains. The war in Ukraine impacted India directly as Ukraine has been a popular destination for Indian students. Thus, India launched Operation Ganga to not only evacuate Indian students but also the students of other countries. The role of Ukraine in facilitating the evacuation has been much appreciated in India. 

The Indian leadership on multiple occasions has actively engaged with both Russia and Ukraine and has advocated immediate cessation of hostilities. PM Modi’s statement that "this is not an era of war" reflects India’s commitment to a conflict-free world. Rooted in the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—"the world is one family"—India believes in resolving disputes through discussion and cooperation for collective global prosperity. 

India has actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, holding key discussions with counterparts in Russia and Ukraine. India has participated  at the meetings based on Ukraine’s Peace Formula held in Denmark, Malta, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, India participated in the Swiss Peace Summit, which focused on President Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan. This highlights New Delhi’s consistent commitment to promoting a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy. 

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has highlighted four principles of India’s engagement with the peace process (1) this should be a time of peace (2) there would be no solution to the war on the battlefield (3) both sides must be at the table for any successful peace process and (4) India is concerned and engaged in trying to find a way to resolve the conflict. He has expressed India’s readiness to offer advice if both sides seek it. 

India attaches highest importance to ensuring the safety and security of nuclear plants and has expressed concerns about the possibilities of nuclear fallouts of the war. It has also categorically stated that it sees use or threat of use of nuclear weapons as unacceptable. Escalatory nuclear rhetoric is not helpful. 

India has actively participated in the humanitarian assistance to our Ukrainian partners. Indian side has handed over more than 15 consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began. The assistance caters to both material and financial needs of Ukraine and includes medicines, medical equipment and other relief materials besides helping Ukraine with infrastructure to keep operating its educational system during this time of crisis. 

Both India and Ukraine enjoy close bilateral relations which extends to defence, trade, cultural and scientific collaboration. Building on the earlier telephonic interaction between PM Modi and President Zelensky, PM Modi became the first PM of India to visit Ukraine after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two in 1992. During the visit, the leaders expressed readiness for further cooperation through areas such as trade and commerce, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence, education, science and technology and culture besides exploring the need for a stronger partnership in the domain of digital public infrastructure, industry, manufacturing and green energy. 

Ukraine is having to deal with Russia, the EU and the US – all at the same time while the war rages on the ground. Your resilience and will to defend your people is noteworthy. It is important to remember that, in International Relations, smaller countries have their agency too. Maintaining neutrality in the face of great power rivalry is easier said than done. And more difficult than this is giving sage direction to people’s opinion in times of war. Your diplomatic outreach in these tough times is important. You have a friend in India and that is our assurance. Prime Minister Modi has said India is not neutral; it is on the side of peace. 

ICWA is glad to host its partners from Ukraine and we look forward to listening to their views on the current situation in Ukraine and India-Ukraine bilateral relations. We look forward to an engaging discussion afterwards. 

May I now invite our colleagues from ‘Ukrainian Prism’ to deliver their talk.

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