Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is traveling to India this Sunday against the background of the global consequences of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

Annalena Baerbock (Greens) starts a two-day inaugural visit to India on Sunday. A spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office said on Friday in Berlin that cooperation in the energy transition away from oil, coal and gas will also play a role. In this context, Baerbock will visit projects for renewable energies and sustainability in the rural surroundings of the capital New Delhi.

In Baerbock’s talks with her Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s relationship with China is likely to be discussed in addition to the Russian war against Ukraine and its consequences, for example in the energy sector.

According to the spokesman, the minister will also visit the Indian election commission. Meetings are also planned with representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations working for women’s rights. India, the world’s largest democracy, took over the presidency of the G20 group of leading economic powers on December 1st.

The spokesman said that the minister’s participation in a trilateral India forum of the transatlantic foundation German Marshall Fund, which is about cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, is also planned. The forum is an annual meeting of American, European and Indian experts from politics, think tanks and business at different locations. It has developed into a leading platform for transatlantic and European dialogue with India.

India is neutral on the Russian war in Ukraine because it has close ties with both the West and Russia. The country does not support Western sanctions and has so far abstained from UN resolutions. As the war progressed, India bought more cheap oil from Russia. New Delhi is also heavily dependent on Moscow for its military equipment and spare parts. Relations between India and China – the two most populous countries in the world – are strained.