Away from the battlefield, Ukraine this week will focus on diplomatic efforts in Washington and New Delhi while Russia uses a platform at the United Nations in New York to criticize countries that are helping arm its adversary.
Ukraine will push for more economic assistance at the weeklong meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington. Officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, are scheduled to co-chair a round table there on Wednesday to “discuss Ukraine’s medium-term needs, essential recovery and reconstruction projects, and areas of international collaboration,” according to a statement from the World Bank.
A key issue at last year’s meetings was how to revive economic growth and combat inflation while keeping pressure on Russia.
Here’s what else we’re watching this week.
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INDIA VISIT: India is hosting Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister, on Monday, marking the first official diplomatic trip by a Ukrainian official to the South Asian nation. Ms. Dzhaparova said in a Tweet on Monday that if India regards itself as a “global teacher and arbiter,” then supporting Ukraine “is the only right choice.” India has so far tried to strike a delicate balance, seeking to avoid angering Russia while maintaining its expanding relations with the United States and Europe. Ms. Dzhaparova is meeting Indian officials to discuss “ways to intensify relations” between the two countries during the two-day visit, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
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UNITED NATIONS: Also on Monday, the U.N. Security Council will meet to discuss the risks “of noncompliance with agreements on export of weapons and military equipment,” according to a U.N. statement. Russia took the helm of the Security Council’s rotating presidency on April 1 and last week presided over a meeting on Ukrainian children that drew the ire of Western countries and accusations that Moscow was using its U.N. platform to spread “disinformation.”
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INVESTMENT: On Thursday, business leaders, government officials and investors will gather in Washington for the U.S.-Ukraine Partnership Forum. The goal is to speed up U.S. investment in Ukraine and help build Ukraine’s economic recovery, according to a statement from the State Department.
Vivek Shankar contributed reporting.
