Ukrainian minister to visit India next week, 1st visit since war

Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova will pay a four-day visit to India from Sunday, the first official visit from the East European country since the Russian invasion began last year.

Dzhaparova will hold talks with Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

It is expected that the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister may extend an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ukraine.

The MEA announced Dzhaparova's visit to India in a statement on Saturday.

"The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova will be on an official visit to India from April 9 to 12,'' it said.

It said Dzhaparova will hold talks with Verma, during which both sides are expected to discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on the current situation in Ukraine and global issues of mutual interest.

Dzhaparova will also call on Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi and meet Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri.

Since the Ukraine conflict began in February last year, Prime Minister Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a number of times.

In a phone conversation with President Zelenskyy on October 4 last year, Modi said there can be ''no military solution'' and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

The MEA said India shares warm and friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with Ukraine.

''Over the last 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has made significant progress in the areas of trade, education, culture, and defence,'' it said.

''The visit will be an occasion to further mutual understanding and interests,'' it added.