NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that India has stepped beyond traditional advocacy to actively broker peace and operational agreements between Russia and Ukraine.During the Munich leaders meeting, Jaishankar said that India is actively holding conversations with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, which has stretched on for more than four years.“Having said that, we are seeing today an unfortunate conflict. Our position on that conflict has been very clear, which is that we would like to see an end to this conflict. This will require dialogue and diplomacy. There has to be negotiations in this regard,” Jaishankar said.“We have been advocating it for many years, and in recent months we have got a little bit more involved beyond advocacy. We have conversations with both Russia and Ukraine in this regard. We are trying to be helpful, starting with the Black Sea safety of shipping issue, but going beyond that to cover some immediate concerns which both of them have on grain exports, energy exports, non-attack possibilities. Those are ongoing conversations right now,” he added.This comes after a meeting of the consultative committee of the ministry of external affairs on India-Russia relations, where members reviewed New Delhi’s active engagement with both Moscow and Kyiv to help end hostilities.During the review, progress on major transit projects, energy cooperation and strategic connectivity was examined. India reaffirmed that its primary energy objective remains safeguarding the interests of Indian consumers, while both nations underscored a shared ambition to expand bilateral trade and investment in a balanced manner.India’s active mediation efforts have also been acknowledged by key figures on both sides of the conflict.Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that India has formally stepped forward to help resolve the conflict, offering what Kyiv considers “the most comprehensive” peace proposal currently under evaluation. Speaking at a press briefing, Sybiha said Kyiv was reviewing four distinct international proposals, including submissions from Turkey, Egypt and the United States.
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“We have four proposals. The most comprehensive is India’s proposal. For the first time, India has signalled its willingness to play a role,” Sybiha stated, as reported by RBC-Ukraine.Similarly, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to help bring an end to the conflict, saying the Indian leader has “good ideas” for a peaceful resolution.Prime Minister Modi has consistently reiterated India’s principled and humanitarian approach to the crisis, maintaining that dialogue remains the only viable path to lasting peace.
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