"PM Modi's visit...will bring momentum to achieve peace in Ukraine": Former Ukrainian PM Tymoshenko

Kyiv [Ukraine], August 22 : Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko, former prime minister of Ukraine on Thursday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit historical, expressing hope that it will bring the necessary momentum to achieve peace in Ukraine.
On being asked about the significance of Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to Ukraine and his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Tymoshenko in an interview with ANI said, "Ukraine is unfortunately one of those nations that experienced the situation of war and Ukrainian people probably are among those who want peace because we suffered huge losses, deaths of our close brothers and sisters. Therefore, we believe that peace above war is what we all together have strive to achieve..."
She added further, "The visit of PM Modi is not just historical for us, it also gives us hope that it will bring the necessary momentum to achieve sustainable, fair peace in Ukraine with a positive impact on the wider European region."
The former PM of Ukraine said that PM Modi's visit gives hope for the beginning of joint efforts towards sustainable peace
"I would like to express my wish to PM Modi that his visit be successful and could strengthen and bring hope towards peace because he is a leader of the largest democracy in the world. That is where our hopes are based and therefore it gives me confidence that his visit is going to be successful and will be a very significant strategic step towards achieving stable, comprehensive, sustainable and fair peace," added Tymoshenko.
She further added that PM Modi has all the potential to be not just a messenger but a contributor, a key architect to bring stable, fair and sustainable peace to Ukraine.
"I believe it's not just about the United States. The whole world is watching the Prime Minister's upcoming visit. Ukrainians place our hope that during this visit, through the exchange of peace ideas, a base for involving other countries in finding stable and sustainable peace solutions could be provided. We do see a very strong potential with Prime Minister Modi to be a catalyst because he always takes a principle position based on the UN Charter, including respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of all states without exception, and we believe his reputation and authority in the world as a leader has assured that he could protect people......"
She further said that Ukraine is a peace-loving nation and the country decreased its army but is currently facing the brunt of the war.
"Ukraine's history proves that we are a peace-loving nation. I would like to remind you that Ukraine gave up the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world when it became independent. We also decreased significantly our army and unfortunately, now we are facing this war. I do believe that we have a strong potential to move forward from war to peace and hopefully even during this visit together with Prime Minister Modi develop and share a common vision of the important road to peace that will bring stable, sustainable and fair, just peace," Tymoshenko said.
She also thanked India, the Indian people and PM Modi for the humanitarian support provided to Ukraine since the beginning of this conflict.
She added, "We highly value this...There is a huge need for medicines and medical equipment and I believe there is something that India and PM Modi could initiate in response to the needs of peace-loving Ukrainian nations. I would appeal to India leaders and primarily PM Modi to increase humanitarian assistance to our hospitals through medical equipment and medicines..."
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his contributions to developing India, she said, "PM Modi is a legendary person for us. We know how many good things he did under his leadership for the people of India, that India developed economically so significantly that it is now the 5th largest economy in the world, being only 11 before his premiership. He contributed a lot to the rising prosperity of the Indian people for their development as a proud nation."
Speaking on the expectations for the visit, she said that there is a significant potential for bilateral cooperation in sectors like Information Technologies (IT), agriculture and education.
She said, "Bringing peace to Ukraine is of paramount importance but beyond that looking for the future, I do see a very significant potential for our bilateral cooperation, especially in such sectors starting with IT. I do see ample potential in agriculture, especially in processing agricultural products, which is important not just to our countries but to other countries in the world. The third sector I would mention is education. We have a very good positive tradition in education bringing Indian students to Ukraine and exchanging visits in science and technologies. I do see the potential of the Indian investments to bring in infrastructure projects to Ukraine...I see a very good possibility of Ukraine developing our bilateral relationships with India."
Speaking on 18,000 Indian students who were in Ukraine when the war had started, who were evacuated. She said, "The good news was that some of them started to come back (to Ukraine) and continue their education in Ukraine...No one can give assurance for students safety as the country is at war but I am sure that several students are already back and one day they will come..."
PM Modi arrived in Poland on Wednesday, the first Indian leader to visit the Central European country in 45 years.
PM Modi, after wrapping up his engagements in Poland, will travel to Ukraine at the invitation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine.