India pushing for bigger role in Russia-Ukraine talks

NEW DELHI: India is advocating for a larger involvement in the negotiations to conclude the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stated Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday during a speech at the Munich Security Conference in New Delhi. Jaishankar elaborated that India's stance on the matter is consistent, emphasizing the necessity for dialogue and diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the ongoing war.

He affirmed that India has been consistently advocating for such a resolution for an extended period, yet recently has significantly intensified its engagement with both Russia and Ukraine in this context.

Jaishankar highlighted that India is contributing to the peace process primarily by ensuring the safety of shipping in the Black Sea. However, he also disclosed that India is pushing forward with additional discussions encompassing grain and energy exports, as well as exploring prospects of non-intervention, which are currently in progress. He emphasized that these dialogues are ongoing and represent a tangible step towards facilitation.

Notably, Jaishankar recently embarked on his inaugural solo visit to Ukraine in September. Prior to that, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a close rapport, meeting in New Delhi in September as well. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed Jaishankar's sentiments, asserting on Sunday that the United States is proposing to orchestrate a fresh cycle of talks between Ukraine and Russia aimed at resolving the four-and-a-half-year-long war, with the objective of concluding these negotiations by the end of October.

However, the US-led peace initiatives have encountered obstacles, primarily due to Washington's preoccupation with its ongoing conflict with Iran and Russia's escalation of aerial assaults throughout Ukraine. Despite previous rounds of negotiations failing to produce substantive advancements towards a peaceful resolution, Moscow has persistently maintained its stance against compromising on its stringent demands to cease the hostilities.