Modi speaks to Zelensky, Jaishankar to Russia’s Lavrov as India backs Ukraine peace

India is ready to contribute to all efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a phone call on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who proposed New Delhi can take the lead in ensuring uninterrupted food supplies through the Black Sea.

The Modi-Zelensky phone call came a day ahead of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine being hosted by the US in Abu Dhabi, and more than two months after Jaishankar visited Ukraine and proposed a three-part truce aimed at halting attacks on energy facilities and other infrastructure, keeping grain and energy flowing through the Black Sea, and ending strikes on commercial shipping.

Modi said on social media that he thanked Zelensky for sharing his perspectives on the conflict, its humanitarian aspects and various efforts to restore peace. “Reiterated India’s firm commitment to contributing in every possible way towards a peaceful resolution,” he said.

Describing the phone call as “productive”, Modi said he and Zelensky also reviewed wide-ranging bilateral cooperation and agreed to further strengthen India-Ukraine ties. A readout from the Indian government said Zelensky shared his perspective on recent developments related to the war, and Modi reaffirmed India's human-centric approach and “consistent position that the conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy”.

Modi also conveyed India’s readiness to contribute to all efforts aimed at the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Zelensky said in a social media post that he briefed Modi on the latest diplomatic developments related to the war.

He suggested that India can play a role in ensuring the unimpeded movement of grains from Black Sea ports by mediating for the establishment of food corridors. “It is important that India identify what steps it can take and what dialogue it can pursue with other leaders to help bring the war to an end,” Zelensky said.

“Food security could be one such area. We discussed Russia's blocking of grain exports via the Black Sea. India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue.” He said Russia “must understand that the global economy and hundreds of millions of people around the world are suffering because of blocked sea routes”.

Zelensky also noted that Modi has said “more than once, including directly to the Russian leader, that now is the time to end the war, not to continue it”. “We are actively preparing on every item on the agenda for the meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine has always taken a constructive approach, and Russia must show the same readiness to de-escalate,” Zelensky said, referring to the planned meeting in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday. Soon after the phone call between Modi and Zelensky, Jaishankar said on social media that he had spoken with Lavrov to discuss “the Ukraine conflict and ongoing diplomatic initiatives”.

Jaishankar did not give details. People familiar with the matter said the two phone calls, in quick succession, reflected India's continuing outreach to both Russia and Ukraine aimed at finding a way to end the hostilities.

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are resuming after a lull of nine months, and the latest initiative is expected to focus on security guarantees aimed at preventing the war from restarting if a truce is reached. The talks had stalled over Russia’s demands that Ukraine hand over 2,000 square miles of territory.

Jaishankar had conveyed India’s ceasefire proposal when he visited Kyiv on September 3 and met Zelensky and foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. Both Russia and Ukraine have welcomed the proposal. India's plan is also seen as more comprehensive as it goes beyond separate ceasefire proposals from Egypt, Turkey and the US by seeking to cover both infrastructure and commercial shipping while keeping vital commodity flows open.

Egypt and Turkey have focused on ensuring the unimpeded flow of grains via the Black Sea by suspending attacks on commercial shipping, while the US proposal centred on an “energy ceasefire”. Jaishankar visited Kyiv three days after Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan on August 31, when the PM urged the Russian leader to move from “endless war to the end of war”.

Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years.

He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine.

Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack.

As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest.

He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More