Can Ukraine convince India in its relations with Russia?

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba visits New Delhi amid Ukraine's efforts to win India's support.

Bộ trưởng Ngoại giao Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba . (Nguồn: Reuters)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba. (Source: Reuters)

Ukraine's foreign minister warned on March 29 that India's close ties with Russia built on the "Soviet legacy" were fading as he urged New Delhi to side with Kiev.

During his visit to India, Mr. Dmytro Kuleba expressed concern about Russia's tightening relations with China - a country that is having a tense border conflict with India.

“The India-Russia partnership is largely based on the legacy of the Soviet Union. But this is not a legacy that will last for centuries. It is evaporating,” Kuleba said, according to the Financial Times .

India and China have an unresolved border dispute that erupted into violence in 2020, killing at least 24 people and forcing both sides to mobilize tens of thousands of troops to forward positions in the Himalayas. India has said normal relations with China will not be restored until the situation at the border is stable.

“The Sino-Russian relationship deserves special attention from India because of its national security interests,” Kuleba said.

Ukraine has struggled to win over India and many other countries in the global south, which have largely stayed neutral in the rich-country rivalry and have suffered economically from disrupted trade and higher costs.

Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier despite New Delhi’s efforts to diversify its imports to France, the United States and other countries. India also became a top buyer of cheap Russian crude oil after the Russia -Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022. Earlier in March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent warm congratulations to Russian President Vladimir Putin after his re-election.

Mr Kuleba suggested that Indian companies participate in post-conflict reconstruction and said the world's most populous country would benefit from expanding trade and technological ties with Ukraine.

Ukraine is now looking to “restore trade” with India, resume exports of agricultural products such as sunflower oil and buy more Indian goods, the minister said. “We are interested in importing some heavy machinery that India produces,” Kuleba added.

Following the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Kuleba criticized the Russia-India relationship and claimed that every barrel of Russian crude oil that India buys has “a bit of Ukrainian blood in it.”

However, Kiev has sought to smooth relations with New Delhi as it tries to win over more countries to its cause.

On March 29, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister visited New Delhi at the invitation of his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to strengthen the relationship between the two sides.

Mr Kuleba’s visit to India comes at a time when Ukraine is going through its most difficult period since the conflict erupted in 2022. Moscow’s forces have gained the initiative on the front lines and further US military assistance has been frozen in the face of opposition from former President Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress.

However, Mr. Kuleba expressed confidence that Washington would pass a new aid package, regardless of the outcome of this year's presidential election. According to him, the majority of both Democrats and Republicans support supporting Ukraine.

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