00:04है बुचित बहुत क्पिते अब्राइब मेद उते ही अडिंजी ।
00:10अच्यूड को भी होज प्रून लीडिविश्टे ठीमिनिस्टर अन्युम्साइब,
00:15झाल मेज़िवाई हैं रेपन के बिच्छित रहुत हैं,
00:21and I will be conveying the greetings and good wishes of Prime Minister Modi.
00:28My own visit has, of course, a bilateral purpose,
00:33but more important, it takes place in the larger context of the war
00:38that has been underway since 2022.
00:42Only two days ago, an Indian national was also killed in an attack in Kiev.
00:49We join in mourning every life lost
00:53and convey our deepest sympathy to every affected family.
01:00Now, even before this visit, Foreign Minister Sibiya and I have been in regular contact.
01:07The most recent occasions where we met were in Cyprus in May,
01:13in France in March, in Munich in February of this year,
01:18and last year in Canada and in New Delhi.
01:21He was good enough to come for the Raisina Dialogue last year.
01:25And I must say, from time to time, we also speak on the phone.
01:29So, our conversation today was very free and very open.
01:36You all know that President Zelensky and Prime Minister Modi have also been meeting on various occasions.
01:45And the latest one was the G7, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian in France in June
01:53this year.
01:53And I have had the privilege of attending most of these meetings.
01:59So, let me first turn to the issue of the war, which regrettably is now in its fifth year.
02:08India has consistently maintained that this is not an era of war
02:13and that solutions will not emerge from the battlefield.
02:18Just two days ago, in Bishkek, Prime Minister Modi declared that endless war must now give way to the end
02:27of war.
02:28Every passing day of conflict only means more deaths and more destruction.
02:36Understandably, it is for the parties involved to find a way.
02:41But if India can be of any help, in any manner, we are ready.
02:47And this was the core of my discussion today, so far, with Foreign Minister Sibiha.
02:56There were also some specific aspects of this conflict that came up in our discussion.
03:02Prominent among them was attacks on commercial shipping.
03:07Indian seafarers manned ships of many flags and have been among the unfortunate casualties.
03:15The impact on shipping is also significantly affecting many nations of the global south
03:22in a variety of ways, leading to fuel, fertilizer, and food shortages.
03:29So, we exchange views on these and related matters.
03:34I also take this occasion to mention India's contribution to humanitarian relief and assistance to Ukraine.
03:44We have provided, so far, 19 consignments of humanitarian assistance,
03:49including 160 tons comprising of generator sets, medicines, medical equipment, etc.
03:56Minister Sibiha and I will be discussing what further can be done in that regard.
04:03Allow me now to say a few words about our bilateral cooperation.
04:08As you are all aware, this has a considerable history, and it predates Ukraine's independence.
04:16Our trade spans a wide range of sectors, from pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture, and fertilizers,
04:23to machinery, chemicals, consumer goods.
04:26And, understandably, in the last four years, this trade has seen some disruption due to the war situation
04:35and logistical challenges.
04:37At the same time, there has been a visible resilience, and some new possibilities have emerged.
04:45In our talks today, we will be challenged, obviously, by the issues of today, as well as the prospects beyond,
04:55and we will be addressing them.
04:56I also want to mention that education has been another long-standing area of activity.
05:03Mr. Sibiha spoke about contacts between our universities and scientific institutions.
05:08But I do want to stress that there are many Indian students currently studying in Ukraine,
05:14and I take this opportunity, through you, Minister, to thank the authorities for taking care of them.
05:22Where the future prospects of our bilateral cooperation are concerned,
05:27we are very much aware that Ukraine has deep strengths and capabilities.
05:32India, too, is developing at a rapid pace, and some of the notable areas of progress are in digital capabilities,
05:40innovation, and start-ups.
05:42The world of AI offers new openings in health, education, agriculture, even in governance.
05:49So, we will be discussing these changing developments and look for specific issues for further partnering.
05:56I invited Minister Sibiha to visit India at his convenience for the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission that we
06:07both chair.
06:08So, let me conclude by thanking the Minister and the Government of Ukraine for receiving me today,
06:17for your courtesy and your hospitality.
06:20In consonance with Prime Minister Modi's call for an end to war,
06:25my visit has a focus on the prospects of dialogue and diplomacy.
06:31I will be taking back the views and positions shared today by the Ukrainian side.
06:36Thank you very much.
06:38Thank you.
06:38Excellency, we will take two brief questions, starting with the Indian side.
06:41Mridula Ghosh, from the week, please.
06:47I will be speaking.
06:51Well, to both of you, and greetings from the Indian diaspora.
06:53My name is Mridula Ghosh.
06:55I write columns for the week, and I also am an associate professor of the Kiev Mohila Academy of the
07:00National University.
07:02My question will be in continuation of what you said about bilateral relations.
07:06It is extremely interesting that this visit of yours is definitely giving a big fillip to it.
07:12However, in our history of relations, the highest level visits have been with delay, considerable delay,
07:22like with President Abdul Kalam visiting 2005, then 2012, President Yanukovych,
07:29then, of course, after a long gap, Prime Minister Modi at his excellent initiative last year.
07:36So, two years have passed.
07:39What are we going to do to make President Zelensky visit India, specifically because this might be a big opening
07:48for Ukraine to develop and engage with India?
07:52Would you be conveying such a message to President Zelensky, if you have it on your cards?
07:57Thank you.
08:00Well, first of all, let me say, since you spoke about visits, I am here myself.
08:06I had the privilege of accompanying Prime Minister Modi when he was here.
08:11And I must share with you that I was also accompanying the President of India when the first visit to
08:19independent Ukraine took place in 1993.
08:22So, as far as I am concerned, you can see that I have been very encouraging and personally participating in
08:29visits.
08:29As to what would be the further visits, normally these are discussed, you know, through diplomatic channels.
08:36And I am sure the Ukrainian side would expect me to talk to them through diplomatic channels rather than through
08:42you,
08:42much as you would wish me to do that.
08:44Thank you.
08:45Thank you.
08:46And the second one, Alina Chernikovay-Tesson.
08:48Prosu.
08:52Thank you.
08:53My question will be in Ukrainian, Minister Sabiha.
08:57We see a new wave of calls to come back to the dialogue from the American side, from Russia, from
09:04the Ukrainian side.
09:06We also see that direct contacts between Russia and America were renewed.
09:11That's key.
09:12You see an opportunity in the future to see trilateral negotiations.
09:17And when our negotiations, when our delegations can meet with American delegation, because I know that Russian delegation spoke to
09:25Americans recently.
09:27Your Excellency Minister, thank you for your trip to Ukraine.
09:32Does India plan to purchase less of Russian oil if the United States approves of the law on sanctions that
09:45include sanctions on the countries that buy Russian oil?
09:50You've been exposed also to constant non-stop Russian drone attacks, and it has been one week when Kiev, the
10:00capital city, has been under non-stop drone attacks, and we've been living in this situation for a very long
10:08time already.
10:08Thank you.
10:09Thank you for your question.
10:10Diplomacy has to play an important role, and it has to be more active when it comes to peaceful efforts
10:16in order to put an end to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
10:21And it is unrealistic to achieve progress without American side.
10:26These are geopolitical realities.
10:28President Zelenskyy recently spoke to the Ukrainian, I'm sorry, to the United States delegation that conducts negotiations, because they are
10:41in contact with, and this dialogue has been going non-stop.
10:49And I recommend that you follow news carefully, and Ukraine did not have any holidays or vacations.
10:57We've been working every day, fighting every day for our country for just peace.
11:03And now I think we will have new dynamics in peaceful efforts after this active phase of political diplomatic phase
11:14in many capitals of the world.
11:17So please follow the news, and you will hear more.
11:24You know, the reason for your question, I get that.
11:29But I think it's also important that all of you get the challenges of providing for energy for 1.4
11:38billion people at a time when the world energy situation is very, very difficult.
11:45So, I would say, I mean, this is something where clearly the Ukraine side has its perspective, which we respect,
11:56and we have ours, which I would expect others to also respect.
12:00But let me just add this, you know, this conflict, which is today, in its fifth year, will not be
12:08solved because somebody is buying or not buying oil, or alumina, or minerals, or metals, or fertilizer.
12:15This conflict will be solved by dialogue, by diplomacy, by negotiation.
12:21And that is why it is something we would encourage.
12:24Thank you.
12:25Thank you.
12:26Thank you, Excellencies.
12:27Thank you, Media.
12:27This will conclude.
12:28Thank you.
12:29Thank you.
12:45Thank you.
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