New Delhi: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha could visit India this month, with planning already underway for it. The visit comes as the war in Ukraine is in its 3rd year and at a time when it has taken a new direction in the aftermath of the White House spat between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump along with Vice President JD Vance, followed by European leaders’ summit in London and direct talks between Americans and Russians in Riyadh. During the expected Delhi visit, the Ukrainian foreign minister will hold talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Indian EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar have spoken multiple times in the last few months. Their most recent in-person meeting occurred on February 15, 2025, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2025 in Germany. Prior to this, the two ministers met on November 25, 2024, in Rome. Additionally, on September 19, 2024, they held a telephonic conversation shortly after Sybiha’s appointment as Ukraine’s Foreign Minister.

Last year, the then Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, visited India from March 28-29, 2024, which was the first Ukrainian foreign ministerial visit to India in decades. The visit was significant as it was the first by a senior Ukrainian official to India since the start of the war in 2022. During his two-day stay in New Delhi, Kuleba met his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on March 29, 2024, to discuss a range of issues, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and Ukraine’s peace initiatives. A key focus was Ukraine’s “Peace Formula”—a 10-point plan proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This visit built on earlier engagements, such as the April 2023 visit by Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova.

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August 2024 was a significant month in Delhi-Kyiv ties, since it saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Ukraine, marking the first time an Indian prime minister had travelled to Ukraine since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. During his seven-hour visit to Kyiv, PM Modi met with Zelensky at the Mariinskyi Palace, where they discussed the ongoing conflict and ways to strengthen India-Ukraine ties. The Indian Prime Minister reiterated Delhi’s firm stance on peace, emphasising dialogue and diplomacy as the path to resolution, calling for direct talks between Ukraine and Russia.

The leaders signed four agreements focusing on cooperation in agriculture, medicine, culture, and humanitarian assistance, including India’s donation of four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri) Cubes—portable medical units designed for disaster response—to aid Ukraine’s war-affected population. The visit also included symbolic gestures, such as paying respects at a multimedia Martyrologist exhibit honouring Ukrainian children killed in the conflict, alongside Zelensky. He also interacted with Ukrainian students learning Hindi, highlighting cultural ties, and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the ‘Oasis of Peace’ park.

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Also read: ‘Determined to continue cooperation with US’: Ukraine for negotiations after Trump halts military aid