Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has express‘ed hope that closer diplomatic ties between India and the West can get New Delhi to rethink its stance on buying Russian oil. In an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy stressed the importance of keeping India aligned with the Western bloc amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.He also called on the West, particularly the United States and Europe, to deepen strategic engagement with India and discourage its energy ties with Russia. “We have to do everything not to withdraw India, and they’ll change their attitude to the Russian energy sector. I’m sure,” Zelenskyy told Fox’s Bret Baier, suggesting that greater diplomatic efforts could encourage India to rethink its approach to sourcing energy from Russia.While acknowledging concerns over India’s energy imports, he expressed confidence in US President Donald Trump’s ability to manage those issues. “Yes, we had these questions with energy, but I think President Trump can manage it,” he said.His comments came while talking about the possibilities of countries closer to Russia standing by Ukraine. Commenting on Iran, the Ukrainian president drew a sharp contrast, stating: “Iran will never be on our side. Because it will never be on the side of the United States.”He went on to add, “I think India’s mostly with us,” reinforcing his belief that India remains a potential strategic partner for the West.Zelenskyy also indicated that closer cooperation between Europe and India could help shift New Delhi’s position. “With Europeans, make more close and strong relationship with India,” he added.
