Prime Minister of India, i Narendra Modi undertook a visit to Ukraine on 23 August 2024, at the invitation of the President of Ukraine, H.E. Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine, since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in the year 1992.
Political Relations
Both Leaders expressed mutual interest in working towards elevating bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future.
They reaffirmed their commitment to further developing bilateral ties for the benefit of the peoples of both countries based on mutual trust, respect, and openness.
The Leaders reviewed the steady and positive trajectory of bilateral ties that have strengthened significantly over the last three decades, and appreciated the role played by regular engagements between India and Ukraine at various levels, including their meetings in Apulia in June 2024 and in Hiroshima in May 2023 on the margins of the G7 Summits, the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to New Delhi in March 2024, multiple interactions and telephone conversations between the External Affairs Minister of India and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; between the National Security Advisor of India and the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and the 9th round of Foreign Office Consultations held in Kyiv in July 2023, in enhancing mutual understanding, trust, and cooperation.
The Leaders appreciated the participation of Ukrainian official delegations in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024, and the Raisina Dialogue 2024.
Ensuring a Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace
Prime Minister Modi and President Zelenskyy reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard.
The Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in June 2024.
The Ukrainian side welcomed such participation by India and highlighted the importance of high-level Indian participation in the next Peace Summit.
The Ukrainian side conveyed that the Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework, adopted at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, could serve as a basis for further efforts to promote just peace based on dialogue, diplomacy, and international law.
The Leaders appreciated various efforts to ensure global food security, including Ukrainian humanitarian grain initiative. The importance of uninterrupted and unhindered supply of agricultural products to global markets, especially in Asia and Africa, was emphasized.
Prime Minister Modi reiterated the need for sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have broad acceptability and contribute towards early restoration of peace. He reiterated India’s willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace.
Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation
The Leaders discussed enhancement of cooperation in areas such as trade and commerce, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence, education, science & technology, and culture, apart from exploring a stronger partnership in domains such as digital public infrastructure, industry, manufacturing, green energy etc., including through greater involvement of business and industry from both nations.
The Leaders emphasized the importance of the Indian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation (IGC) in facilitating a future-oriented and stronger economic partnership between the two countries.
They appreciated the review of the IGC conducted during the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to India in March 2024 and the efforts to hold the meetings of the Joint Working Groups with a view to early convening of the 7th Session of the IGC at a mutually convenient time in 2024. The Ukrainian side welcomed the appointment of the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar as the Co-Chair/Chairperson of the IGC.
In the light of the significant reduction in the annual bilateral trade in goods since the year 2022 due to the challenges related to the ongoing war, the Leaders directed the Co-Chairs of the IGC to explore all possible ways to not only restore bilateral trade and economic relations to pre-conflict levels but expand and deepen them further.
The Leaders emphasized the importance of enhancing the ease of doing business for mutual economic activities and investments, apart from removing any impediments for greater trade and commerce between India and Ukraine. The sides also encouraged greater engagement at official and business levels to explore joint projects, collaborations, and ventures.
The Leaders recalled the strong ties between the two sides in the domain of agriculture and the desirability of enhancing bilateral interaction and market access on the basis of strengths in complementary areas, including the harmonization of standards and certification procedures.
Recognizing cooperation in pharmaceutical products as one of the strongest pillars of the partnership, the Leaders reaffirmed the desire for greater market access and facilitation of investments and joint ventures including through testing, inspection, and registration procedures. Both sides expressed the desire for broadening cooperation on drugs and pharmaceuticals, including in training and sharing of best practices. They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Republic of India and the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control, and the holding of the 3rd Meeting of the Indian-Ukrainian Joint Working Group on Pharmaceutical Cooperation in August 2024 in virtual mode. The Ukrainian side also appreciated India as an assured source for the supply of cost effective and quality medicines.
The sides agreed to expedite work on expanding the legal framework of bilateral relations, particularly regarding mutual protection of investments, and exploring mutual recognition of educational documents; academic degrees; and titles.
Noting the successful implementation of the agreement between India and Ukraine on scientific and technological cooperation, effective functioning of the Indian-Ukrainian Joint Working Group on Scientific and Technical Cooperation, and completion of bilateral research projects, the sides encouraged holding of regular exchanges and programmes, especially in areas such as ICT, AI, machine learning, cloud services, biotechnology, new materials, green energy, and earth sciences. The sides welcomed the 8th Meeting of the JWG on Scientific and Technological Cooperation held on 20 June 2024.
Defence Cooperation
Underlining the importance of defence cooperation between India and Ukraine, the Leaders agreed to continue to work towards facilitating a stronger relationship between the defence entities in both countries, including through joint collaborations and partnerships for manufacturing in India and cooperation in emerging areas. The sides agreed to hold the 2nd meeting of the Indian-Ukrainian Joint Working Group on Military-Technical Cooperation, established under the 2012 Defence Cooperation Agreement, in the near future in India.
Cultural and People-to-People Ties
Recognizing the key role played by cultural and people-to-people ties in the enduring friendship between India and Ukraine, the sides welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral Programme of Cultural Cooperation, and the decision to hold festivals of culture in India and Ukraine. The Leaders emphasized the importance of sustaining and further expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including through scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme and the General Cultural Scholarship Scheme of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
The sides agreed to explore the possibility of mutual opening of branches of higher education institutions to meet the educational needs of citizens of both countries. The Leaders appreciated the contribution of the Indian diaspora in Ukraine to the development of friendly relations and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
The Indian side reiterated its gratitude to the Ukrainian side for its help and support in the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine in the early months of the year 2022 and ensuring the safety and well-being of all Indian nationals and students that have returned to Ukraine since then. The Indian side requested Ukrainian side’s continued support on easier visa and registration facilities for Indian nationals and students.
The Ukrainian side conveyed its gratitude to the Indian side for the humanitarian assistance provided to Ukraine and welcomed the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding on High Impact Community Development Projects between India and Ukraine which will enable the development of mutually agreed projects through Indian grant assistance. The sides agreed to explore the possibility of involvement of Indian companies in Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery, in a suitable manner.
The Leaders were unequivocal in their condemnation of terrorism. They called for an uncompromising fight against terrorism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations, noting the importance of increasing cooperation in this area on the basis of international law and the UN Charter. Both sides called for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary global realities and to make it more representative, effective and efficient in dealing with issues of international peace and security. Ukraine reiterated its support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council. The Indian Side looked forward to Ukraine’s joining of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
The Leaders’ comprehensive discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and exchange of views on regional and global issues of shared interest reflected the depth as well as mutual understanding and trust that mark India-Ukraine relations. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Zelenskyy for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation during the visit and invited him to visit India at a mutually convenient opportunity.
