Jaishankar said India is ready to contribute towards ending the Ukraine war.
India-Ukraine trade has faced disruption due to war and logistical challenges.
Jaishankar highlighted AI, digital capabilities, innovation and startups as future cooperation areas.
India is ready to contribute in any way possible to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday during his visit to Kyiv.
“If India can be of any help, in any manner, we are there,” Jaishankar told reporters after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha. The two ministers also discussed attacks on commercial shipping, which Jaishankar said featured prominently in their talks.
Jaishankar said India and Ukraine had a wide-ranging trade relationship covering several sectors, including pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture, fertilisers, machinery, chemicals and consumer goods. However, he said bilateral trade had seen disruption over the past four years due to the war situation and logistical challenges.
“Our trade spans a wide range of sectors, from pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture, and fertilizers to machinery, chemicals, consumer goods, and understandably, in the last four years, this trade has seen some disruption due to the war situation and logistical challenges,” Jaishankar added.
Education A Long-standing Area
Jaishankar also highlighted education as another long-standing area of India-Ukraine engagement. He said Sybiha had spoken about contacts between universities and scientific institutions of the two countries.
Jaishankar also stressed that many Indian students were currently studying in Ukraine. He thanked the Ukrainian authorities for taking care of the students. “I take this opportunity through you, Minister, to thank the authorities for taking care of them,” he noted.
Focus On New Areas Of Cooperation
Looking at the future prospects of bilateral cooperation, Jaishankar said India was aware of Ukraine’s “deep strengths and capabilities”.
He said India, too, was developing rapidly, particularly in areas such as digital capabilities, innovation and startups.
According to Jaishankar, artificial intelligence could open new opportunities in several sectors, including health, education, agriculture and governance. “The world of AI offers new openings in health, education, agriculture, even in governance,” he said.
Jaishankar said the two sides would discuss these changing developments and identify specific areas where they could partner further. “So, we will be discussing these changing developments and looking for specific issues for further partnering,” he said.
He also invited Sybiha to visit India at his convenience for the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, which the two ministers jointly chair. “I invited Minister Sybiha to visit India at his convenience for the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission that we both chair,” added Jaishankar.
Why Is The Ukraine War More Directly Relevant To India?
The human cost of the war for India has become harder to separate from the larger geopolitical picture.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday, that 227 Indian nationals had been recruited into the Russian military. Of those, 139 had been discharged and 51 had died. India has continued to engage Moscow for the release and repatriation of those still serving.
Separately, the Embassy of India in Kyiv expressed condolences over the death of an Indian national in an attack, underscoring the direct risks the war poses to Indian citizens.
The wider maritime dimension has also become an Indian concern. At the Monday, August 31 Modi-Putin meeting, the two sides discussed the impact of the Black Sea conflict on maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers.
Together, these developments show why the war matters to New Delhi beyond its relations with Moscow and Kyiv. Indian nationals have died in the conflict, some remain caught up in its military dimensions, and Indian seafarers face risks from fighting that is disrupting maritime activity in the Black Sea.
