Prime Minister's Office
India-Ukraine Joint Statement on the Visit of
Prime Minister of India to Ukraine
Posted On: 23 AUG 2024 6:41PM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi undertook a visit to Ukraine on 23 August
2024, at the invitation of the President of Ukraine, H.E. Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was
the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine, since diplomatic relations
were established between the two countries in the year 1992.
Political Relations
Both Leaders expressed mutual interest in working towards elevating bilateral relations
from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership in the future.
They reaffirmed their commitment to further developing bilateral ties for the benefit of
the peoples of both countries based on mutual trust, respect, and openness.
The Leaders reviewed the steady and positive trajectory of bilateral ties that have
strengthened significantly over the last three decades, and appreciated the role played
by regular engagements between India and Ukraine at various levels, including their
meetings in Apulia in June 2024 and in Hiroshima in May 2023 on the margins of the G7
Summits, the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to New Delhi in March
2024, multiple interactions and telephone conversations between the External Affairs
Minister of India and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; between the National
Security Advisor of India and the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and the
9th round of Foreign Office Consultations held in Kyiv in July 2023, in enhancing mutual
understanding, trust, and cooperation.
The Leaders appreciated the participation of Ukrainian official delegations in the
Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024, and the Raisina Dialogue 2024.
Ensuring a Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace
Prime Minister Modi and President Zelenskyy reiterated their readiness for further
cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such
as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They agreed on the
desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard.
The Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on peaceful resolution
through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on
Peace in Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in June 2024.
The Ukrainian side welcomed such participation by India and highlighted the
importance of high-level Indian participation in the next Peace Summit.
The Ukrainian side conveyed that the Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework,
adopted at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, could serve as a basis for further efforts to
promote just peace based on dialogue, diplomacy, and international law.
The Leaders appreciated various efforts to ensure global food security, including
Ukrainian humanitarian grain initiative. The importance of uninterrupted and
unhindered supply of agricultural products to global markets, especially in Asia and
Africa, was emphasized.
Prime Minister Modi reiterated the need for sincere and practical engagement between
all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have broad acceptability and
contribute towards early restoration of peace. He reiterated India’s willingness to
contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace.
Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation
The Leaders discussed enhancement of cooperation in areas such as trade and
commerce, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence, education, science & technology, and
culture, apart from exploring a stronger partnership in domains such as digital public
infrastructure, industry, manufacturing, green energy etc., including through greater
involvement of business and industry from both nations.
The Leaders emphasized the importance of the Indian-Ukrainian Intergovernmental
Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural
Cooperation (IGC) in facilitating a future-oriented and stronger economic partnership
between the two countries.
They appreciated the review of the IGC conducted during the visit of the Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to India in March 2024 and the efforts to hold the meetings of
the Joint Working Groups with a view to early convening of the 7th Session of the IGC at
a mutually convenient time in 2024. The Ukrainian side welcomed the appointment of
the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar as the Co-Chair/Chairperson of
the IGC.
In the light of the significant reduction in the annual bilateral trade in goods since the
year 2022 due to the challenges related to the ongoing war, the Leaders directed the Co-
Chairs of the IGC to explore all possible ways to not only restore bilateral trade and
economic relations to pre-conflict levels but expand and deepen them further.
The Leaders emphasized the importance of enhancing the ease of doing business for
mutual economic activities and investments, apart from removing any impediments for
greater trade and commerce between India and Ukraine. The sides also encouraged
greater engagement at official and business levels to explore joint projects,
collaborations, and ventures.
The Leaders recalled the strong ties between the two sides in the domain of agriculture
and the desirability of enhancing bilateral interaction and market access on the basis of
strengths in complementary areas, including the harmonization of standards and
certification procedures.
Recognizing cooperation in pharmaceutical products as one of the strongest pillars of
the partnership, the Leaders reaffirmed the desire for greater market access and
facilitation of investments and joint ventures including through testing, inspection, and
registration procedures. Both sides expressed the desire for broadening cooperation on
drugs and pharmaceuticals, including in training and sharing of best practices. They
welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare of the Republic of India and the State Service of Ukraine on
Medicines and Drugs Control, and the holding of the 3rd Meeting of the Indian-
Ukrainian Joint Working Group on Pharmaceutical Cooperation in August 2024 in
virtual mode. The Ukrainian side also appreciated India as an assured source for the
supply of cost effective and quality medicines.
The sides agreed to expedite work on expanding the legal framework of bilateral
relations, particularly regarding mutual protection of investments, and exploring
mutual recognition of educational documents; academic degrees; and titles.
Noting the successful implementation of the agreement between India and Ukraine on
scientific and technological cooperation, effective functioning of the Indian-Ukrainian
Joint Working Group on Scientific and Technical Cooperation, and completion of
bilateral research projects, the sides encouraged holding of regular exchanges and
programmes, especially in areas such as ICT, AI, machine learning, cloud services,
biotechnology, new materials, green energy, and earth sciences. The sides welcomed the
8th Meeting of the JWG on Scientific and Technological Cooperation held on 20 June
2024.
Defence Cooperation
Underlining the importance of defence cooperation between India and Ukraine, the
Leaders agreed to continue to work towards facilitating a stronger relationship between
the defence entities in both countries, including through joint collaborations and
partnerships for manufacturing in India and cooperation in emerging areas. The sides
agreed to hold the 2nd meeting of the Indian-Ukrainian Joint Working Group on
Military-Technical Cooperation, established under the 2012 Defence Cooperation
Agreement, in the near future in India.
Cultural and People-to-People Ties
Recognizing the key role played by cultural and people-to-people ties in the enduring
friendship between India and Ukraine, the sides welcomed the conclusion of the
bilateral Programme of Cultural Cooperation, and the decision to hold festivals of
culture in India and Ukraine. The Leaders emphasized the importance of sustaining and
further expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges, including through
scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme
and the General Cultural Scholarship Scheme of the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations.
The sides agreed to explore the possibility of mutual opening of branches of higher
education institutions to meet the educational needs of citizens of both countries.
The Leaders appreciated the contribution of the Indian diaspora in Ukraine to the
development of friendly relations and people-to-people contacts between the two
countries.
The Indian side reiterated its gratitude to the Ukrainian side for its help and support in
the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine in the early months of the year 2022
and ensuring the safety and well-being of all Indian nationals and students that have
returned to Ukraine since then. The Indian side requested Ukrainian side’s continued
support on easier visa and registration facilities for Indian nationals and students.
The Ukrainian side conveyed its gratitude to the Indian side for the humanitarian
assistance provided to Ukraine and welcomed the conclusion of the Memorandum of
Understanding on High Impact Community Development Projects between India and
Ukraine which will enable the development of mutually agreed projects through Indian
grant assistance.
The sides agreed to explore the possibility of involvement of Indian companies in
Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery, in a suitable manner.
The Leaders were unequivocal in their condemnation of terrorism. They called for an
uncompromising fight against terrorism and extremism in all their forms and
manifestations, noting the importance of increasing cooperation in this area on the
basis of international law and the UN Charter.
Both sides called for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council to reflect
contemporary global realities and to make it more representative, effective and efficient
in dealing with issues of international peace and security. Ukraine reiterated its support
for India’s permanent membership of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.
The Indian Side looked forward to Ukraine’s joining of the International Solar Alliance
(ISA).
The Leaders’ comprehensive discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and
exchange of views on regional and global issues of shared interest reflected the depth as
well as mutual understanding and trust that mark India-Ukraine relations.
Prime Minister Modi thanked President Zelenskyy for the warm hospitality extended to
him and his delegation during the visit and invited him to visit India at a mutually
convenient opportunity.
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