PM Narendra Modi and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke Monday
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Abu Dhabi peace talks, PM Narendra Modi and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke Monday with the latter briefing the PM about latest developments related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Modi conveying India’s "firm commitment" to contributing in every possible way towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war. The conversation took place a day before the trilateral peace dialogue involving Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi, and amid renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Ahead of the talks, where India's recent peace proposals are likely to be discussed too, India remained engaged with both sides on diplomatic initiatives as foreign minister S Jaishankar too spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Zelenskyy recalled Modi's latest peace message to President Vladimir Putin that it was time now to end the "endless war" and urged India to take more steps towards a ceasefire that can ensure food and energy security. Modi said in a post on X that he and Zelenskyy had a productive conversation – their first since they met on the margins of the G7 summit in France in June. Modi's message to Zelenskyy expressing India's readiness to facilitate peace is not new, but its timing is significant as this was the first time they spoke after Jaishankar revealed in early October India was actively mediating for establishment of safe corridors in the Black Sea for grain and energy exports. "We reviewed our wide-ranging bilateral cooperation and agreed to further strengthen India-Ukraine ties. I thanked President Zelenskyy for sharing his perspectives on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspects and various efforts to restore peace," said Modi in his own readout of the talks. Ukraine believes Russia has not responded positively to India's Black Sea shipping proposal and the call to end targeting of its energy sector. "The Prime Minister has said more than once, including directly to the Russian leader, that now is the time to end the war, not to continue it," said Zelenskyy on X after his talks with Modi, urging India to identify steps it can take and also talks it can pursue with other leaders to bring the conflict to an end. “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,” said the Ukrainian president. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had always taken a constructive approach, and Russia must show the same readiness to de-escalate. “Russia must understand that the global economy and hundreds of millions of people around the world are suffering because of blocked sea routes. We agreed that our teams will stay in touch on these and other bilateral issues,” he said.
Join conversation
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
An Indian readout said Modi reaffirmed India’s human-centric approach and reiterated India’s consistent position that the conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. The 4th round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks mediated by the US are scheduled to begin in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. While the core negotiations are structured as trilateral sessions involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US, Ukrainian delegation will hold separate coordination meetings with their European and Nato allies including France, Germany and the UK on the sidelines.
End of Article
