Mumbai: Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday that the war-torn European nation seeks “long-lasting peace” and wishes the Russia-initiated war ends this year. Speaking at the World Trade Centre here, Sybiha also pressed for Moscow to “unconditionally” accept the ceasefire proposal, just as Kyiv has done.
The comments from Sybiha, concluding his two-day visit to India on Wednesday evening, come at a time when heightened efforts are being undertaken to establish peace. However, some reports suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin was weighing a limited-period truce alone.
‘Support from India can speed up efforts to achieve peace’
The comments also come hours before a call between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to establish peace. “..Ukraine wants peace. We want to end this war this year,” Sybiha said, adding that support from India can speed up efforts to achieve peace. His country wants “just, comprehensive, long-lasting” peace, Sybiha said, asking everyone not to “manipulate” the message. The call between the two Presidents who last met in Washington “will be a huge step forward” on the way to peace.
The “unprovoked Russian aggression” which started in February 2022 is not only about Ukraine, but it is also an attack on the World Order based on the rule of law and on the principles of respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty, he said, adding that it is in global interest to stop it. “We accepted the proposal to establish ceasefire unconditionally, and we do really expect that the Russian side will also accept this proposal unconditionally,” he said.
‘Ukraine-India bilateral trade ties have a huge potential’
Meanwhile, the visiting minister also inaugurated Ukraine’s Consulate to establish a permanent presence in India’s financial capital and improve the trade relations. WTC’s chairman Vijay Kalantri said the India-Ukraine trade stood at USD 5.2 billion per year before the Russian attack in February 2022 and has declined to USD 2.6 billion now.
The Ukraine-India bilateral trade ties have a huge potential and the relations have been good historically, Sybiha said.
The Minister also announced that Mumbai has received the first consignment of Ukrainian apples despite the war and the problems in the Black Sea, and hoped that if the ceasefire is successful, the freedom to navigate the waters will help the trade relations between the two countries.
