The key facts
- On November 9, Jaishankar spoke with Lavrov, and Modi with Zelensky
- The contacts took place on the eve of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi
- New Delhi confirmed its readiness to help facilitate a peaceful settlement
Two phone calls in a single day
India intensified its diplomatic contacts with Moscow and Kyiv on the eve of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. According to Bloomberg , citing a Life.ru report, on November 9 India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the same day.
What the parties discussed
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Jaishankar discussed bilateral cooperation as well as current regional and international issues. The Indian minister later clarified that the conversation touched on the Ukrainian conflict and diplomatic efforts to resolve it. Earlier, Life.ru reported on this conversation: the Russian Foreign Ministry said the ministers exchanged views on the international agenda and the current state of Russian-Indian relations.
The Modi–Zelensky call
During the call with Modi, Zelensky outlined Kyiv's position on the conflict and humanitarian issues; the Indian prime minister thanked his counterpart and reaffirmed New Delhi's readiness to help find a peaceful solution. Zelensky, for his part, spoke about the preparations for the talks in Abu Dhabi. The parties also discussed bilateral cooperation between India and Ukraine.
Context
Thus, both key participants in the upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi received signals from India on the very same day: Moscow at the foreign ministers' level, Kyiv at the heads of government level. The publications suggest that New Delhi is positioning itself as a participant in the diplomatic process, but sources do not yet provide details on the substance or agenda of the trilateral talks in the UAE.
