Mychailo Podolyak, who heads Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, sparked outrage after claiming in an interview that Indians had “weak intellectual potential.” The comments, made after the G20 summit in New Delhi, reflected Ukraine’s broader frustration with India’s position. about the war with Russia. Mint takes a closer look at the tensions in the relationship between India and Ukraine.
What did Podoljak say?
Podolyak spoke about the rise of powers such as India and China. During the interview, he accused the two countries of having “weak intellectual potential.”
“What is the problem with China, India, etc… they are unable to analyze the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, these countries have low intellectual potential. Yes, they invest in science. Yes, India recently launched a lunar rover that is now roaming the surface of the moon, but that doesn’t mean this country fully understands what the modern world is about,” Podolyak said.
What is the background to his comments?
Ukrainian officials have made no secret of their desire to see India do more to support the war against Russia. So far, though, they’ve been disappointed. India has not directly condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, nor has it been a major player in sanctions against Moscow. In fact, India has been a major buyer of Russian oil since the start of the war in Ukraine. She also did not invite President Zelensky to the G20 summit in New Delhi.
Have Ukrainian officials expressed dissatisfaction before?
Indeed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused India of profiting from Ukraine’s suffering in a 2022 interview with NDTV. “India’s ability to buy Russian oil at a cheap price stems from the fact that Ukrainians are suffering from Russian aggression and dying every day,” he said at the time.
“If you benefit from our suffering, it would be good if more of your help were directed to us,” he added. Kuleba also asked India to directly address Russia over its “aggression against Ukraine”.
Has India provided support to Ukraine?
India has sent several consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. During the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister’s visit to India in April, New Delhi also committed to supplying school buses to Ukraine. The country also quietly attended the Ukrainian Recovery Conference in June, which was intended to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. India has also called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate the dispute.
