‘India needs to restore just and lasting peace in Ukraine’, Dmytro Kuleba tells NDTV: Foreign Minister

New Delhi:

As the war with Russia intensifies, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said India has an important global voice that it can use not only to influence how Moscow behaves but also to help other countries join peace initiatives.

The Ukrainian leader gave a wide-ranging interview to New Delhi Television on Thursday during his first visit to the country. He also spoke about the need for India to get a seat on the United Nations Security Council, evolving Indo-Russian and Indo-Ukrainian relations, planned India-U.S. Russia and relations between India and Ukraine. Swiss Peace Summit, Holi festival celebrated on the streets of Kharkiv.

Mr. Kuleba, who is in India on a two-day visit at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, said he quickly agreed to visit. “This is because India is a very important player in the world and we need India to restore a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he said.

Reacting to Jaishankar’s assertion that India and Russia take special care of each other’s interests and that the country has sent a frank message to Moscow, the Ukrainian foreign minister said Indo-Russian relations are based on Soviet heritage, which “is extinct and has disappeared” “. no future”.

Referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “famous quote” that “this is not an era of war”, Kuleba said Russia had triggered the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.

“We understand that there are some economic, technological ties between India and Russia, and India is a sovereign country and it has the right to develop relations with any country it sees fit. But if India and Russia are so close, it means India can influence The way India-Russia behaves, that’s one of the reasons why India’s voice is so important, but secondly, I don’t think this relationship has a future for the reasons I mentioned. I think there’s more to Ukraine-India relations (a) from this sense, the future,” the minister said.

India’s key role

Asked what India wanted to do in the current situation, the minister said New Delhi could use its ties with Russia to stop the war that has been going on for more than two years.

“India can play a very important role in uniting more countries in the southern hemisphere… If India comes to the negotiating table for the peace package[Ukraine’s initiative to seek a diplomatic solution to the war]then many other countries will also come on board.” Sitting in India People will feel safer and more comfortable next to them and they will come and join the effort,” he said.

Kuleba said this would not only strengthen “good” India-Ukraine relations but would also respect international law. “You cannot change borders by force, you cannot invade your neighbours, you cannot commit atrocities. This is the world that India will benefit from and the world that Russia is trying to destroy,” he said.

The minister also said Ukraine had softened its stance on India’s purchase of Russian oil and said since the deal was done in rupees, it would not ultimately benefit the Russian “war machine”.

Russian attack

After last week’s attack on a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 140 people and Russian President Vladimir Putin claiming the attackers were heading to southern Ukraine, Kuleba said the attempt to blame Russia was not surprising.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist. If there is anything that can be used to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community, if there is anything that can be used to mobilize more Russians against Ukrainians, that will be done. That’s what the Russian leadership has done attitude and approach. They’ve been lying to the world that they wouldn’t invade Ukraine, and they did. They’ve been lying. So why do you think they’re telling the world that this time it’s true?

India in Security Council

Ukraine’s foreign minister said that although the Israel-Gaza war and the Russia-Ukraine war were going on simultaneously, Ukraine received help from Europe and the United States.

“The F-16s will be arriving in Ukraine soon… Yes, there is a debate in America and we are all watching it with popcorn in our hands. I agree, it is pretty dramatic, but both Democrats and Republicans agree that support for Ukraine must continue… … Even if one wanted the United States to completely isolate itself and focus entirely on domestic problems, that’s simply not possible. That’s not the way the world works. So the United States will continue to be involved in fixing the world,” he said.

Asked whether the United Nations was losing its relevance given the continuation of two wars, he said it was easy to criticize the United Nations. “I would not resort to such simple exercises because war has taught us that only difficult exercises are worth the effort,” he said.

However, the minister added that the United Nations was struggling because the balance of power within the organization was “upset” and things needed to change.

“Every new death caused by war in the world is another nail in the coffin of the United Nations. The United Nations is trying its best but it just can’t do it because if there is no agreement between the main stakeholders, it It’s going to be paralyzing.” … It needs to change. I firmly believe that Russia must withdraw from the United Nations Security Council. India must join. Other countries should become permanent members,” he said.

Can medical students return to China?

Asked when Indian medical students would be able to return to Ukraine, Mr. Kurabe used the example of being treated by Indian doctors a month ago to illustrate the importance of India-Ukraine relations.

“This was an Indian, a young lady, who studied in Ukraine and stayed in Ukraine during the war. You have to understand that while many Indian students returned to India after studying in Ukraine to help their communities, others Stay and be part of our community, our society. Kharkiv is a beautiful city in eastern Ukraine and the capital of Holi in Ukraine,” he said.

“Every year, Indian and Ukrainian students transform the streets and squares of Kharkiv into an Indian city by celebrating Holi. Today, the city is being systematically destroyed by Russia every day… We want to celebrate Holi again on the streets of Kharkiv on this day. We don’t want to see Russian bombs there, let alone Russian soldiers,” the minister said.

“We take steps to allow foreign students to study in other regions of Ukraine. This is because we consider them part of our society and we attach great importance to this part of our bilateral cooperation,” he stressed.

peaceful attempt

Regarding Putin’s repeated threat of world war, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister said that this may be just talk.

“I think President Putin loves his luxurious life too much to put his life at risk by starting World War III. But, of course, he will continue to ramp up his rhetoric in order to convince countries not to help Ukraine. “.It’s just talk,” he claimed.

With a peace summit planned in Switzerland at the request of Ukraine, Kuleba said India’s presence was crucial. “This will be crucial and that is one of the reasons why I am here. India participated in the preparatory coordination meeting and President Zelensky and Prime Minister Modi discussed the summit in a telephone conversation.”

Mr. Kuleba said that the summit was based on the United Nations General Assembly’s October 2022 resolution on the restoration of the main principles of peace in Ukraine, noting that 143 countries voted in favor.

“It does not say anything other than what is already said in the resolution. So those countries that voted for the resolution should not have any problem supporting what is written in the peace package. 143 is a Big numbers,” he said.

The minister stressed that some of the key points of the package are food security, energy security, prisoner exchange, return of deported children and accountability for crimes committed, with the main goal being to end the war.

“So basically, the peace package is a menu that addresses all the major problems caused by Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine. We designed this menu, and I use the word ‘menu’ deliberately, in a way that is acceptable to any country it wants to Problems solved. For example, you want to work on exchanging prisoners, but you don’t want to work on holding the Russian leadership accountable for war crimes committed in Ukraine. That’s fine… it allows us to hope that more countries will join in, “He said.

Lessons from the Mahatma

This came when asked about a video he posted with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi behind him, in which he spoke about the freedom fighter’s legacy and what he hopes to achieve in conversations with Jaishankar and others in the government. The minister said he wanted frank communication.

Mr Kurabe said: “We’re going to have a very candid conversation about all the good aspects of policy as well as the aspects that we don’t like – I mean Ukraine policy, but also India policy. But, because I’m going to see Dr. Jaishankar Tomorrow, because of your question, I can tell him in advance about our conversation. My point is simple. Few people believed that Mahatma Gandhi would succeed and that India would become an independent country through peaceful resistance. Today, many people say Ukraine will not be able to restore its territorial integrity, but the Mahatma succeeded and Ukraine will succeed.”

“Because truth is on his side and it is on our side today. I believe that India will stand on the side of truth again because supporting Ukraine today is supporting the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi – freedom, independence and faith. If you stand for the right cause Fight, no matter how strong your enemy is, you will eventually succeed,” he added.