PM Modi Tells Zelenskyy India Is Ready to Help End the Ukraine War

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, November 9, that India was ready to contribute to efforts to end the war through dialogue and diplomacy. Zelenskyy briefed Modi on recent developments in the conflict, and the two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation, the Prime Minister’s Office said. pib.gov.in

In a post on X after the call, Modi said he had thanked Zelenskyy for sharing his views on the war, its humanitarian impact and efforts to restore peace. He said they had reviewed cooperation across several sectors and agreed to strengthen ties.

India’s Talks Span Shipping, Grain and Energy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar outlined three areas of India’s diplomatic engagement in an interview with ANI on October 31, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta. He said India was discussing ways to protect civilian ships and seafarers, restore Russian and Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, and prevent attacks on energy infrastructure and shipments.

Jaishankar said Modi had discussed the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi and earlier in Bishkek. He said he had travelled to Moscow and Kyiv, discussed the issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and kept US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed because Washington was pursuing its own mediation effort. India had also held discussions with European countries, he said.

Energy was the hardest of the three issues to resolve, Jaishankar said, because the sides understood protection differently. He cited refineries, electricity grids and ships carrying fuel as examples. He declined to discuss where those talks stood.

Zelenskyy Seeks EU Help Ahead of Winter

In a separate call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Zelenskyy said Russian strikes had disrupted electricity, water and heating supplies across Ukraine. He singled out Kyiv, Kherson and the Dnipro, Sumy and Donetsk regions among the worst affected.

Zelenskyy said they agreed that the European Union would activate an emergency mechanism to release funding for Ukraine’s most urgent needs. Their teams were already working on it, he said. The call also covered additional energy and humanitarian aid ahead of winter.

The two leaders discussed Ukraine’s bid to join the EU. Citing the European Commission’s positive assessment of Ukraine’s progress in its annual enlargement package, Zelenskyy called for opening talks across all remaining groups of policy areas and beginning to close individual negotiating chapters.

With inputs from ANI