The winds of change blow straight into the face of time. Or so sang the Scorpions—as they strummed the song synonymous with the end of the Cold War. With the first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine, Emine Dzhaparova, in Delhi for a four-day visit, it is clear that the winds are now blowing through the capital. The question is whether it is away from Moscva?
This is the first high-level visit from Ukraine to India. It comes at time when Russia and China are clearly moving closer together. The conflict still stretches on. The visit may be very much part of India’s balancing neutral stand but it is certainly a statement. And will be viewed both in Kyiv and Moscow as such, differently of course. There is no doubt that in Ukraine, this visit will be seen very much as a loss for Russia.
“Happy to visit India the land that gave birth to many sages, saints and gurus. Today, India wants to be the Vishwaguru, the global teacher and arbiter. In our case, we’ve got a very clear picture: aggressor against innocent victim. Supporting Ukraine is the only right choice for true Vishwaguru,’’ tweeted Dzhaparova as she landed in India. She met Meenakshi Lekhi, minister of culture as well as external affairs, where she discussed “deepening’’ bilateral cooperation in various fields including culture. According to her tweet, Ukrainian “audio guides under the patronage’’ of President Zelenskyy will be available in India soon.
Apart from meeting officials from the ministry of external affairs, Dzhaparova will also be delivering a lecture at the Indian Council for World Affairs on “Russia’s War in Ukraine: Why the World Should Care’’. In the past few months, Sapru House has had speakers who have spoken out strongly against Russia and the conflict—Csaba Korosi, the secretary general of the UN General Assembly and more recently Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida—yet Dzhaparova being given the opportunity to speak is significant.
What is also interesting to note is that Dzhaparova is from Crimea, and is a vocal advocate for liberating the Russian-controlled region. “Questioning the status of Crimea is the same as questioning Amazonas state of Brazil. Ukraine will never refuse from Crimea. Just & lasting peace will mean liberation of every inch of our territory. Because if evil is not stopped, it becomes bigger (sic),’’ she tweeted. While India has supported Russia’s stand on Crimea, it is likely to have touched a sensitive chord in Moscow.
The relationship between India and Russia may be “unbreakable” as described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladmir Putin. India has chosen to import Russian crude—in December it was 33 times what it was last year—and chosen not to use its vote against Russia in the UN, but the growing closeness of Russia to China does not sit well with South Block. The visit of President Xi Jinping to Russia—where the red carpet was rolled out literally and metaphorically—last month has set the tone for the relationship. It comes on the heels of China brokering a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a statement that President Xi wants to play global peacemaker. A situation that is bound to make India wary.
“We call India vishwaguru. That’s something that also puts us on a common path because we promote values...My visit here is with one clear goal – to make our dialogue more intensified,’’ said Dzhaparova in an interview to a television channel.
With India’s ambition as 'vishwaguru', especially at the time of the G20, the visit is a clear victory for Ukraine. On the agenda of the Ukrainian minister’s visit is a request for Indian companies to help in the rebuilding of the country. As well as try and push for an invite for President Zelenskyy for the G20 leader summit. It is a move that is certainly smart. “For example, National Security Adviser Doval has [visited] Moscow three times,’’ she said in the interview. “So we think that in order to balance that, he might also come to Kyiv. This is what we call a pragmatic approach, because while there is a conversation with one side, there should be a conversation with another side.” Which way is the wind blowing?
