Amid a flurry of diplomacy to finish the Ukraine conflict, India’s Exterior Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met with Russia’s Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. EAM Jaishankar wrote on X after their assembly on the Russian Mission, “Mentioned our bilateral cooperation and regional points.”
On Tuesday night, EAM Jaishankar had indicated that India is making an attempt to see if it may contain the 2 international locations in a peace effort. He stated on the Asia Society, “Now we have been partaking each the Russian authorities and the Ukrainian authorities — in Moscow and in Kyiv and elsewhere — to see whether or not there’s something we will do which might hasten the tip of the battle and provoke some sort of severe negotiation.”
He added that India was “sharing” with each international locations the conversations it had with them and his sense was that “each side recognize it”. New Delhi, which has traditionally had shut diplomatic and strategic ties with Moscow, is forging an impartial path open to the West giving it room to be a conduit between the 2 international locations for peace diplomacy.
In his Wednesday morning deal with to the Common Meeting, Zelensky talked about his assembly with PM Modi, and on Tuesday on the Safety Council he stated that he had invited India to a “second peace summit to finish the conflict”. At Monday’s PM Modi’s assembly with Zelensky, their second inside a month, the Ministry of Exterior Affairs stated in a press release that “the way in which ahead on pursuing a path to peace” got here up “prominently of their discussions”.
PM Modi reiterated “India’s clear, constant, and constructive method” to resolving the battle with Russia via diplomacy and dialogue,” the Ministry stated. When he visited Ukraine final month, PM Modi stated, “Personally, as a pal, if there may be any position that I can play, I might very very similar to to play that position towards peace.”
After his return residence, PM Modi spoke through telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and he wrote on X that they “exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine battle and my insights from the current go to to Ukraine”.
India adopted that up with a visit earlier this month by Nationwide Safety Adviser Ajit Doval to satisfy Putin and, based on experiences, temporary him on Prime Minister Modi’s go to to Kyiv. Within the month earlier than his Ukraine journey, PM Modi had visited Moscow to satisfy Putin.
Whereas India, which is closely depending on Moscow for defence supplies, continues to purchase oil and petroleum merchandise from Russia, an investigation by the information company Reuters stated that munitions made by Indian firms had been discovering their strategy to Ukraine via third international locations in Europe.
