Ukraine and India: Synergy in Diversity

Six months have already passed since the beginning of the bloody war, which has been taking thousands of lives of the children of Ukraine. My second homeland is bleeding, but no matter how much it hurts us all, it’s time for us to think about the future of our country. What do we want Ukraine to be? I think each of us will agree that the Ukraine we dream about is primarily a happy and strong Ukraine. So how do we achieve this goal? To do this, we have to turn in upon ourselves and, as the Hindu wise men teach us, look at ourselves and our way not with our eyes, but with our hearts. Ukraine is doomed to be a great country in the world. Our strength is in our movement. We can’t stop and behave like a small state. Ukraine is the largest state in Europe, which is doomed to play a special role in the world, pursuing a multi-vector policy, which includes building relations not only with the United States and the European Union but also with India. That is what my soul will strive for. I wish with all my inner world that Ukraine and India join hands with each other, tap things in common, and go together. Over the years, I have made many efforts to raise the cooperation between the countries to a new level, primarily in the marine sector. I am glad to have been involved in helping thousands of seafarers from Ukraine and India find their way to the sea.

Many Ukrainians will discover the whole world and the brilliance of India. It is a pearl by the sea, whose roots reach as far back as over 5,000 years to the origins of mankind. This is a wonderful civilization, getting to know which helps to redefine the reality around us. The incredible wealth of natural resources and commodities produced on this land has made India a goal for the conquerors. India had to pay a huge price for its liberty. Just as in the case of Ukraine, freedom cost India thousands of lives sacrificed at the altar in order to finally reject the shackles that the British Empire had imposed on this noble nation for so long. Ukraine is fighting in the same way for its independence and for the right of choice.

Beginning in the second half of the twentieth century, India set a course for the technologization of its economy. In 1975, its first satellite called Aryabhata was launched, named after Aryabhata, the eminent sixth-century astronomer and mathematician. India pays much attention to modern scientific research, which is why the Indian Institutes of Technology were launched. The Indians saw the remarkable power of technology after many years of communicating with the British, who was one of the most advanced nations on Earth, which allowed them to expand their empire far beyond the boundaries of the island and their fairly small population. If Great Britain was called the ‘factory of Europe’ in the early nineteenth century due to the development after the industrial revolution, India can confidently claim the status of the digital hub of the whole world, taking into account the number of independent IT specialists and automobile companies located on its territory. In 2015, India ranked 81st in the Global Innovation Index, a ranking that measures how well countries are developing to be centres of modern technology. India’s digitalization has led to India ranking 48th in the world and consistently third among 29 lower-middle-income countries five years later. Even more impressive is that it ranks first among the top 10 countries in Central and South America. The issue of technological development is more urgent for Ukraine now than ever. In February 2020, the Ukrainian ‘Diia’ (Action) system was born, which determined the system of relations between man and the state in a completely different way. Thanks to the effectiveness of this app, Ukraine is gradually eradicating corruption and bureaucracy on many vital issues, such as birth certificates or business registration.

At the same time, India’s manufacturing sector has already managed to develop into a global power and is going to become even stronger in the near future. India’s work ethic and long tradition of skilful manufacturing in many ways explain why the conditions for doing business in this sector remain positive. Significant growth was seen in areas such as base metals (by nearly 11%), intermediate goods (by nearly 9%), tobacco (by 2.9%), and food (by 2.7%). India’s industrial production grew by 36% from 2019 to 2020. Today, India is not only a technology hub for inventions and jobs but also a fast-growing hi-tech manufacturing hub. The Government of India pays great attention to helping its own domestic producer, seeking to increase the share of the manufacturing sector in the country’s GDP to 25% by 2025. Experts estimate that India’s manufacturing sector could reach USD 1 trillion by 2025. The goods and services tax has turned India into a single market with a GDP of 2.5 trillion dollars, even with a population of about 1.32 billion people—an extremely attractive market for any investor.

In Ukraine, industrial production developed quite actively before the war. Ukraine is a leader in the export of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, tube rolls, and coke chemistry products. In January– November 2021, industrial production volumes in Ukraine increased by 1.3% compared to the same period in 2020. Thus, if it were not for the aggression of the neighbouring state, Ukrainian industrial production would have returned to a state in the COVID year by the end of 2022. Ukraine and India have a lot in common. The distance between the common things exists only in our mindset. We need to get closer and open up to each other. The road will rise to meet the one who walks it.