Ukraine wants India to use its special relationship with Russia to end war

Ukraine said it is banking on India to restore just and lasting peace in the war-hit region and expressed hope in influencing Russia to end the war. The remarks were made by Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who is on a two-day visit to India at the invitation of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.

Speaking to NDTV on Thursday, Kuleba called India a very important player in the world and said that New Delhi should use its special relationship with Moscow to stop the war, which has gone on for over two years now.

Talking about what made him come to India, Kuleba was quoted as saying, "This is because India is a very important player in the world and we need India to restore just and lasting peace in Ukraine," he said.

Referring to Jaishankar's statements on close relations shared between India and Russia, Kuleba said that India-Russia is based on the Soviet legacy, which is "extinct and has no future".

Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "famous" words to Russian President Vladimir Putin that 'this is not an era of war', Kuleba said Moscow was responsible for the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

"We understand there are some economic, technological ties between India and Russia and India is a sovereign nation, it has the right to develop relations with any country it deems appropriate," Kuleba told NDTV.

"But if India and Russia are so close, it means that India can influence the way Russia behaves and this is one of the reasons why the voice of India is so important but, second, I don't think this relationship has a future for the reason that I mentioned. I think the Ukrainian-Indian relationship has more (of a) future in that sense," he said.

Earlier in the day, Kuleba paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat memorial site. He is expected to meet with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on March 29, as well as the deputy national security advisor, according to India's Foreign Ministry.

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