In Zelensky call, Modi says India backs peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday sought India’s support for implementing a “peace formula” he proposed to the G20 Summit in Indonesia last month, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi will back any peace effort aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday sought India’s support for implementing a “peace formula” he proposed to the G20 Summit in Indonesia last month, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi will back any peace effort aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.

In Zelensky call, Modi says India backs peace

Modi and Zelensky discussed the conflict in Ukraine during a phone conversation, and the Indian leader reiterated his call for an immediate end to hostilities and a return to diplomacy and dialogue.

This was the second phone conversation between Modi and Zelensky since October, and came less than a fortnight after the Prime Minister’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky said in a tweet that he sought India’s participation for implementing a “peace formula” he proposed to the G20 Summit.

Modi and Zelensky “exchanged views about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine”, and the Prime Minister “strongly reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and said that both sides should revert to dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to their differences”, a statement from the Indian side said.

Modi “conveyed India’s support for any peace efforts, and assured India’s commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance for [the] affected civilian population” in Ukraine, it added.

Zelensky said in his tweet that he wished Modi a successful G20 presidency. “It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN,” he said.

The Indian statement did not directly refer to Zelensky’s peace formula, which the Ukrainian leader outlined during a video speech beamed to the G20 Summit in Bali on November 15. At the time, Zelensky referred to the grouping of the world’s 20 largest economies as “G19”, a snub to Russia.

Zelensky also spoken during that speech about a 10-point peace plan aimed at ending the “aggressive Russian war...justly and on the basis of the UN Charter and international law”. The 10 points included nuclear safety, food security, energy security, release of all prisoners and deportees, restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities, prevention of escalation and confirmation of the end of the war.

During their last phone conversation on October 4, Modi emphasised the importance India attaches to the safety and security of nuclear installations, including in Ukraine. He said that endangering nuclear facilities could have “far-reaching and catastrophic consequences”. He had also said that “there can be no military solution to the conflict”.

During Monday’s conversation, the two leaders discussed opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, and Modi requested Ukraine authorities to facilitate arrangements for the continued education of Indian students who had to return from Ukraine.

Some 20,000 Indian students, most of them enrolled in medical and engineering courses, left Ukraine in the weeks after Russia launched its invasion on February 24. About 1,000 students have returned to Ukraine in recent months, though uncertainty surrounds the future of others.

The Indian statement said that Modi explained India’s main priorities for the G20 presidency, including “giving a voice to the concerns of developing nations on issues like food and energy security”.

During a meeting with Putin on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan in September, Modi told Putin that “today’s era is not of war” and also called for ending the conflict in view of its fallout on developing countries. While India has not publicly criticised the Russian invasion, it has repeatedly called for the ending of hostilities and respecting the territorial integrity of all states.

In his last phone conversation with Putin on December 16, Modi reiterated his message that dialogue and diplomacy were the “only way forward” in the Ukraine crisis. Modi and Putin also reviewed bilateral ties, including energy cooperation, trade and investments, and defence and security cooperation.