In a first after the Russia-Ukraine war, a top official of the war-torn nation is set to visit India on a four-day tour, with an aim to garner support from New Delhi.
According to the statement released by the External Affairs Ministry, Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova will embark on a four-day visit, from April 9-12. Notably, this will be the first official visit from the East European country since the Russian invasion began last year.
“The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova will be on an official visit to India from April 9 to 12," said the MEA.
As per the schedule, the Ukrainian minister will meet Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Deputy National Security Adviser, Vikram Misri. Besides, she will also hold meetings with Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Ukrainian Minister is likely to Invite PM Modi
It is expected that the war-ravaged nation would seek support from New Delhi or would press India to negotiate a "peace deal" with Russia.
Besides, it is expected that the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister may extend an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ukraine.
It is worth mentioning that since the start of the conflict, war-embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart spoke to PM Modi on the issue. Although 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.
India promotes dialogue diplomacy
During the talks with both leaders, Modi said there could be "no military solution" and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts. 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.
