2024-08-29 04:10:20
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine has raised hopes of peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the second Ukraine peace summit must be held. It would be good if it is held in one of the countries of the Global South. We can organize a global peace summit in India. India is the world’s largest democracy. Talks are also going on with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Switzerland in this regard. In fact, the first peace summit was held in Switzerland in June, in which more than 90 countries participated. However, then this peace conference was a complete failure. A major reason for its failure was also a mistake by Zelensky. This is the first time that one of the two countries caught in the war has expressed confidence in India for the peace initiative. Let us understand what is the reason that Ukraine has named India to host the peace summit. We will also understand why the previous peace conference failed?
Modi said- I have come with a message of peace, since then the trust has increased
Zelensky has told the media that he has talked to PM Modi about holding the second Ukraine summit to be hosted by India. Expressing his desire to increase trade with India, Zelensky said that he wants the trade of goods with India to increase three to five times. The Ukrainian President said that he had discussed the previous peace summit during his meeting with Modi on Friday. During the talks, PM Modi told Zelensky that I have brought a message of peace. Modi also told Zelensky about his meeting with the Russian President in Moscow last month.
Why did the last peace summit fail?
Dr. Dhananjay Tripathi says that the much talked about Ukraine peace summit was held in Switzerland on 15-16 June this year. Its main objective was to unite the global majority behind Zelensky’s peace formula. It demanded the withdrawal of Russia from the entire territory of Ukraine and the formation of an international tribunal to prosecute Putin’s government for war crimes. However, this summit failed because there was no consensus on the demands made in it. Anyway, such agreements can be made only after victory on the battlefield.
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The agreement became meaningless due to the exclusion of Russia
Not including Russia in this conference was also a big mistake. Because it was Russia that was fighting the war with Ukraine. In such a situation, such a conference without Russia was a kind of death of Zelensky’s peace formula. The 81 countries participating in the summit were not even told the outline of the possible agreement. Only three secondary issues were included in it. Ukraine’s grain export, security of nuclear power stations and the return of prisoners of war and Ukrainian children held by Russia from the war zone.
India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia did not sign the agreement
At that time, major countries like Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia refrained from signing this peace agreement. Their argument was that a platform created with the aim of establishing peace with Russia has no meaning in the absence of Russia. China also distanced itself from it. Even US President Joe Biden did not support this conference. He then sent Vice President Kamala Harris instead of going himself.
The conference failed due to Zelensky’s foul language
When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Zelensky and members of his government presented the attack as a victim of a colonial war waged by Russia to gain the sympathy of the Global South. But at that time, South Africa, Brazil and even India ignored Ukraine’s hollow argument. Because everyone remembered that at a security conference held in Singapore in June, Zelensky had described himself as a country of the civilized world. This is what enraged developing countries, because European countries like Britain had enslaved many countries of the world by calling themselves civilized.
Earlier Zelensky had protested when Modi and Putin hugged each other
Last July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia. This was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia after the Russian attack on Ukraine. As soon as PM Modi and Russian President Putin reached Moscow, they hugged each other, which was heavily criticized in the Western media. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky did not like the hug between Putin and Modi.
Zelensky objected to this on July 9, 2024 and said, 37 people were killed in Russia’s missile attack today. Three children were also included in this. Russia attacked the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine. On such a day, the leader of the world’s largest democracy hugging the world’s bloodiest criminal in Moscow is a big disappointment for the efforts to establish peace.
Relations between India and Ukraine are constantly increasing
According to Dr. Dhananjay Tripathi, Assistant Professor at SAARC University, trade relations between India and Ukraine have been growing continuously in the last 25 years. According to the data of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, in the financial year 2021-22, there was a trade of $ 3.3 billion between the two countries. India can also take advantage of Ukraine’s expertise in the field of agriculture. Before the war, India used to import sunflower oil from Ukraine. Dhananjay Tripathi says that about 75 percent of India’s sunflower oil comes from Ukraine. At the same time, about 20 thousand Indian students were studying medicine in Ukraine. In such a situation, Ukraine is as important for India as Russia. This is the reason why Modi said – war and peace, we stand in favor of peace.
Modi always gave humanitarian aid to Ukraine
PM Modi has talked about peace and humanity from many platforms. India has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. During the war, about 135 tonnes of goods were sent from India to Ukraine as aid, which included medicines, blankets, tents, medical equipment and generators.
Ukraine is unmatched in space research, India can also benefit from it
According to Dr. Dhananjay Tripathi, Assistant Professor at South Asian University, India’s relations with Ukraine have been very good since 1992. India did not take any time to recognize Ukraine which had separated from Soviet Russia. In 2005, President APJ Abdul Kalam had stressed the need to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine in space research. He also visited Ukraine’s space agency Yuzhnoye along with ISRO scientists, which is one of the largest rocket manufacturing agencies in the world. Ukraine is also far ahead in terms of space research.
Modi extended his hand for peace initiative in the midst of war
Dr. Dhananjay Tripathi says that Modi’s visit to Ukraine has taken place when, just a short while ago in July, 32 NATO countries attended a meeting led by the US in Washington. Through his visit, Modi has given the message that even though India is a traditional friend of Russia, it is with Ukraine in matters of humanity. Before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, about 20,000 Indian students were studying in Ukrainian universities. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, India, Ukraine and Poland together evacuated about 4 thousand Indian students trapped there under ‘Operation Ganga’.
Zelensky said- we will be happy to hold a meeting in India
Talking to the media, Zelensky said, when you start a strategic partnership or some conversation, you should not waste time. So I think it would be good to meet again and I would be happy if our meeting takes place in India. I really need India to be on our side. Talking to Indian journalists, Zelensky said – I have read a lot about your big and great country. It is very interesting. So when your government, Prime Minister (Modi) want to meet me, then I will be happy to come to India. Zelensky said, Prime Minister Modi is more supportive of peace than Putin. The problem is that Putin does not want (peace).