NEW DELHI: India is a global player and also a Vishwa guru, said the Ukrainian deputy minister of foreign affairs, Emine Dzheppar, who hoped the Ukraine-Russia war needs to be questioned for the sake of justice “Nearly 10,000 Ukrainans have died as a result of this war. Prime Minister Modi had rightly said in Samarkand that this is not an era for war. Like India, Ukraine too has never attacked another country. With India being at the helm of G20, we hope India will be involved and engaged in global issues and challenges,’’ Minister Dzheppar added.
The minister has a strong India connection as she considers Sri Satya Sai Baba her beloved guru. “I have visited Puttaparthi at least seven times, as Sai baba was my spiritual guru,’’ she said, adding that she was very familiar with India.
She is also hoping that India will provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid and also help in the reconstruction work across the country. This is the first visit of a Ukrainian minister to India since the outbreak of the conflict in February last year. The Minister met MEA’s Secretary West, Sanjay Verma, on Monday and said they had far-ranging bilateral discussions.
“During the meeting, I gave a brief summary of the military situation in Ukraine which is difficult as civilians have lost their lives and infrastructure has been damaged and broken,’’ she said, adding that they were not in a position to instruct India on whether it should import oil from Russia.
The Ukrainian government has requested aid in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, energy equipment which will help repair infrastructure damaged during the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, during her remaining visit, she will be meeting Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi and Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri.
India shares warm and friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with Ukraine. Since establishing diplomatic relations over 30 years ago, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has made significant progress in the areas of trade, education, culture and defence.