India: Willing to help restore peace between Ukraine and Russia

India on Friday said that it is willing to play a constructive role in restoring peace between Russia and Ukraine.

India on Friday said that it is willing to play a constructive role in restoring peace between Russia and Ukraine, though it is the prerogative of the two warring countries to decide when and how to commence peace talks.

There has been widespread speculation in diplomatic circles about any possible role for India in mediating between Russia and Ukraine following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in July and to Kyiv last week (AFP)

Addressing a regular media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal sought to play down Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent criticism of India’s oil purchases from Russia and New Delhi’s decision not to sign on for the joint communique issued after the first peace summit on Ukraine.

There has been widespread speculation in diplomatic circles about any possible role for India in mediating between Russia and Ukraine following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in July and to Kyiv last week. People familiar with the matter had said on condition of anonymity that New Delhi would prefer to pass messages between the two sides instead of engaging in direct mediation.

Jaiswal, who faced several questions at the briefing about India’s role in helping end the conflict, sought to play down the possibility of mediation. “We have always advocated constructive, solution-oriented and practical engagement with all stakeholders to achieve a negotiated settlement to this conflict,” he said.

“This is evident in our outreach to both Russia and Ukraine at the highest level. Prime Minister has already indicated India’s willingness to play a constructive role in the interest of peace,” he added.

Jaiswal emphasised it is too early to comment on “specific modalities and pathways” for ending the conflict and restoring peace.

“The decision [as] to when and how to commence peace talks is the prerogative of the two parties to the conflict. As friends and partners, we would support any feasible and mutually acceptable solution or format that could restore peace,” he said.

Jaiswal also faced questions about Zelensky’s criticism of India’s position at a media conference following his meeting with Modi on August 23. Zelensky had said that India is helping sustain Russia’s “war economy” through its purchases of crude oil and that President Vladimir Putin would be forced to end the war if India changed its stance. He had further proposed that India could host the second peace summit on Ukraine, but it would have to sign on for the joint communique from the first summit for that.

Jaiswal described this criticism as the Ukrainian side’s perspective on various matters that was shared with the media.

“As far as we are concerned, we will be guided by the bilateral discussions we’ve had with them, including the exchange of views during [Modi’s] visit, which we believe will pave the way for stronger bilateral ties, apart from facilitating more forward-looking discussions on the possibility of peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he said.

Modi, Jaiswal reiterated, had clearly told Zelensky that India, as a friend of Ukraine, is ready to “play an active role for peace”.

India has so far not criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and abstained on most Ukraine-related resolutions at the United Nations. The Ukrainian side has called on India to do more, as a voice of the Global South, to help end the conflict.