India-Ukraine Relations has garnered significant attention, in the wake of Indian Prime Minister’s historic visit to the war torn country. PM Narendra Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1992.
The visit, which aims at deepening of India-Ukraine Relations, also sets to underscore India’s consistent position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India has always emphasized that lasting peace can only be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy.
In this article, we will delve in detail into the India-Ukraine Relations. We will also look into the areas of co-operation, the challenges in the India-Ukraine and the significance of this historic visit.
What is the Historical Background of India-Ukraine Relations?
India has an extensive bilateral relationship with Ukraine, which spans across all spheres of cooperation.
| Establishment of Diplomatic Relations | India was one of the first countries to recognize Ukraine, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. India established diplomatic relations with Ukraine in January 1992, with the opening of The Embassy of India in Kyiv in May 1992. Ukraine opened its Mission in Delhi in February 1993, which was its first mission in Asia. |
| Phase of Engagement but lack of going full-steam | Even though India and Ukraine cooperated in a range of domains ranging from defence to diaspora, however, India’s bias towards Russia prevented New Delhi from going full steam on its engagement with Ukraine. |
| Decline in bilateral cooperation after the Russia-Ukraine War | There has been decline in the bilateral relations after Russia-Ukraine war. For ex- The volume of India-Ukraine trade dropped from $3.39 billion in 2021-22 to $0.71 billion in 2023-24. |
The visit aims to turn around the declining bilateral cooperation and deepen India-Ukraine relations.
What have been the areas of cooperation between India and Ukraine?
1. Geopolitical cooperation
a. Soviet Union under the Ukrainian-born Leonid Brezhnev, support of India in the 1971 war against Pakistan. The slogan of Hindi-Rusi bhai-bhai was coined by USSR’s Ukrainian leader, Nikita Khrushchev.
b. Regular exchange of high-level visits and interactions between India and Ukraine. For ex-Regular telephonic communication between Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and President of Ukraine Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky, during Russia-Ukraine War.
c. Regular interactions between India and Russia through Joint-Working Groups, Foreign Office Consultations.
2. Defence Cooperation
a. Ukraine has been a source of military technology and equipment for India since its independence. For ex- Ukraine manufactured R-27 air-to-air missiles are used on the SU-30MKI fighters operated by Indian Air force (IAF).
b. India has also started exporting defence equipments to Ukraine, during its war with Russia.
3. Economic Cooperation
a. In 2020, India was Ukraine’s largest export destination in the Asia-Pacific region. India was Ukraine’s fifth-largest export destination.
b. There has been significant growth of bilateral trade between India and Ukraine, in the last 25 years. Bilateral trade between India and Ukraine reached US $3.386 billion in 2021-22.
c. Main items of export from Ukraine to India– Agricultural products, Metallurgical products, Plastics & Polymers.
Main items of export from India to Ukraine– Pharmaceuticals, Machinery, Chemicals, Food products.
d. A number of Indian companies have their representative offices in Ukraine. For ex- Office of ‘Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association in Ukraine.
4. Humanitarian Assistance
a. India has provided 12 consignments measuring 99.3 tons of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the wake of the Ukraine-Russia war. The aid and assistance comprises medicines, blankets, tents, tarpaulin, medical equipment.
b. Indian Pharmaceutical Companies have donated more than USD 8 million worth of medical aid and financial assistance to Ukraine.
5. Diaspora Cooperation
a. The local Indian community, comprises mostly business professionals and students studying medicine. Indian business professionals are predominantly engaged in manufacturing, packaging, trading, and service industry.
b. The local Indian community has formed an association called “India Club” which organizes cultural and sports events.
6. Cultural Cooperation
a. More than 30 Ukrainian cultural associations/groups, spread across the country, are engaged in promotion of Indian art forms, yoga, philosophy, Ayurveda, and spirituality. For ex- Celebration of Yoga Day and birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
b. Shooting of Indian movies in Ukraine. For ex- The iconic Oscar winning song Natu-Natu was shot in Ukraine.
7. Institutional Cooperation
a. ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) program, which offers training or capacity building programs in different centres of excellence in India.
b. ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholarship, which offers higher-level courses covering wide range of subjects in eminent Indian Institutions.
c. Kendriya Hindi Sansthan Scholarship program, which offers scholarships to Ukraine students to pursue higher-level Hindi language courses.
| Read more- Significance of India’s PM Visit to Ukraine |
What are the Challenges in India-Ukraine Relations?
a. Declining bilateral Trade- The volume of India-Ukraine trade has dropped from $3.39 billion in 2021-22 to $0.71 billion in 2023-24, due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine Crisis.
b. Impact on India’s import- The decline in trade has impacted India’s import of agricultural, machine-building and military goods from Ukraine. For ex- Impact on the supply chain of sunflower oil, has led to rising inflation in the country.
c. India’s relation with Russia- India’s continued engagement with Russia, and it’s decision to avoid all public criticism of Moscow, has led to a little dampening of the spirit of India-Ukraine geopolitical cooperation.
d. Ukraine’s criticism of India’s Policies in the past- Ukraine’s criticism of India’s Nuclear Test and India’s Kashmir policy has also been an irritant in India’s full steamed engagement with Ukraine.
What are the emerging opportunities which make India-Ukraine relations significant?
The possibility of post-war reconstruction in Ukraine offers various opportunities for India.
1. Room for enhanced defence cooperation- Ukraine’s urgent need for weapons creates an opportunity for India to shed the virtually obsolete Soviet arms. India can swap its Soviet hardware and ammunition for Western ammunition, as India pivots away from Soviet and Russian weapons to NATO systems.
2. Geo- strategic cooperation in Indian Ocean- Military cooperation with Ukraine could be a strategic game-changer for India, especially in the Indian Ocean. Ukraine’s modern, low cost and innovative waterborne technology, outsmarted the Russia’s vastly superior Black Sea Fleet. India can use Ukraine’s expertise to counter China in the Indian Ocean region.
3. Shift of Production bases to India- Close cooperation between India and Ukraine can help in shifting production bases of Ukrainian manufacturing companies in India. For ex- Shifting of the gas turbine manufacturing company, Zorya-Mashproekt’s base in India.
4. Enhanced employment opportunities- Ukraine’s future reconstruction will offer huge opportunities for India’s strained labour market.
5. Enhanced cooperation in Digital sector- India’s deepened relations with Ukraine, can enhance the digital cooperation between the two nations and can be game changer for governance of both countries. For ex- Indian electronic voting machines could prove invaluable to wartime Ukraine, while Ukraine’s ground-breaking DIIA app, which places government documents and services securely in one’s smart phone, could revolutionise Indian governance.
What Should be the Way Forward?
1. Tightrope Diplomatic Balancing Act- India must continue to diplomatically balance it’s relations with Russia and Ukraine, and with China and the US. India should not let it’s engagement with Ukraine change its equations with Russia, as Russia’s engagement with China does not impact its relationship with India.
2. Take centre stage for delivering peace- India should take centre stage as a peaceable yet principled global player, and take the lead in negotiations of the Ukrainian peace formula. This will help in restoring the global food supply chains and prevent millions of starvation related deaths in the World.
3. Demonstrate new definition of non-alignment- India must demonstrate the changed definition of non-alignment in India’s foreign policy by deepening its relationship with Ukraine while maintaining its close cooperation with Russia. Non-Alignment’s definition in Indian foreign policy has changed from maintaining equal distance from all countries to maintain close ties with all countries.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has put India in a delicate position, requiring it to balance its historical ties with Russia against its growing partnerships with the West. India must strategically navigate in this geo-political quagmire.
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