“Not the legacy that will be kept for centuries”: India is urged by Ukraine to reconsider its relations to Russia and the “Soviet legacy.”

NEW DELHI: Citing a waning Soviet heritage, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has asked India to reevaluate its historical relations with Russia. As to the Financial Times, Kuleba’s appeal coincides with India’s established defence and commercial ties with Moscow, in the midst of Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine since February 2022.

“The cooperation between India and Russia is largely based on the Soviet legacy. But this is not the legacy that will be kept for centuries; it is a legacy that is evaporating,”  Kuleba said.

Kuleba stressed the potential advantages of enhancing commercial and technological collaborations between the two countries during his two-day visit to India. In an effort to rekindle commercial links, he said that Ukraine was interested in buying a range of heavy equipment goods made in India, especially those related to agriculture and sunflower oil. Furthermore, Kuleba invited Indian businesses to take part in the post-war rehabilitation of Ukraine.
With Russia excluded, Ukraine hopes to organise a meeting of world leaders to forward its peace agenda, which calls for the removal of the Russian military from Ukrainian land. While Kuleba made it clear that Ukraine is not against cooperation with Russia, she underlined how crucial it is that India comprehends Ukraine’s position on backing Russia’s military activities.
Kuleba has emphasised the increasing level of cooperation between New Delhi and Kiev since the start of the war with Russia.
However, Russia has rejected Ukraine’s diplomatic attempts as futile.