Ahead of the crucial Ukraine Peace Summit, India has appointed Ravi Shankar as its next Ambassador to Kyiv. The Ministry of External Affairs, through a press release, asserted that Shankar, a 1995 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Ukraine. Currently, Shankar is an Additional Secretary in MEA. The statement said he will join his duties shortly.
"Ravi Shankar (IFS: 1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Ukraine. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," according to the statement released by MEA.
Ukraine Peace Summit
The latest development came in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war, where India's role has been considered the most significant amid the fact New Delhi shares good relations with Russia. Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also has personal relations which he often dubs "India-Russia friendship".
Earlier in March, when Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited New Delhi, he described India and Ukraine as "two big friendly nations". After his back-to-back meetings with his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar, he emphasised that Ukraine sought New Delhi to play a wider role in the peace summit. Italy is hosting the G-7 Summit meeting from June 13-15, while the Ukraine peace summit will be held in Switzerland from June 15-16
The peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022 follows 10 principles aimed at ensuring a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. During the meeting, Kuleba said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have spoken in person and on the phone "a number of times, and they always instruct us foreign ministers to push this relationship forward". "We have a big work to do, and I am looking forward to delivering, so that we can report to our leaders, but also to the peoples of India and Ukraine, two big friendly nations," he said.
Why is Ravi Shankar's appointment is crucial?
Earlier in an interview with news agency PTI, PM Modi confirmed that he got invitations from Kyiv and added New Delhi knew its significance and contribution to international affairs. Therefore, it is expected that Ravi Shankar must play a crucial role in mediating between the government of two nations.
