The key facts

  • Modi told Zelensky that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy
  • India confirmed its readiness to contribute to a peaceful settlement
  • In October, India proposed a ceasefire plan: no strikes on energy infrastructure and vessels, grain transport across the Black Sea

Phone conversation between Modi and Zelensky

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. This was reported on the Indian prime minister's website. According to the publication, Modi reaffirmed a 'human-centric' approach and India's consistent position on the need to resolve the conflict, and also announced India's readiness to contribute to all efforts aimed at a peaceful settlement.

Context: India's ceasefire plan

The conversation took place against the backdrop of India's diplomatic activity on the Ukrainian agenda. In October, according to Hindustan Times, as cited by Gazeta.Ru, India proposed to Russia and Ukraine a three-part ceasefire plan: renouncing strikes on energy infrastructure and commercial vessels, as well as ensuring the transport of grain and energy resources across the Black Sea. Kyiv, citing the publication, calls the Indian proposal the most comprehensive; however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier deemed a return to the moratorium on strikes against vessels 'unacceptable and unrealistic.' Thus, the parties' positions on the Indian initiative remain divergent: Kyiv's support versus Moscow's skeptical assessment.

Background

In early October, Gazeta.Ru, citing its own materials, noted that Russia's ally India had become actively engaged in the Ukrainian agenda. Modi's new conversation with Zelensky took place about a month after reports of the Indian ceasefire plan emerged; beyond the wording stated in the communiqué, no concrete outcomes of the conversation are reported in available publications.