New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) Even as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that he and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are coordinating next steps ahead of the UN General Assembly session, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said today that India is involved in “several conversations with several partners” on a possible peace solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha posted on X:
“I spoke with @DrSJaishankar to build on @NarendraModi’s historic visit to Kyiv and talks with @ZelenskyyUa.
“We agreed to take our bilateral relations forward in all promising areas of cooperation. We exchanged views ahead of UNGA and coordinated next steps in political dialogue.”
To questions on India’s role as a peacemaker in Ukraine, the Foreign Secretary said at a briefing:
“We are involved in a set of several conversations with several partners. This is a work in progress. We will update you on the situation at the right time. We remain engaged with our interlocutors on these important issues.”
He recounted that PM Modi had visited Russia in early July and Ukraine on August 23 and spoken with both their leaders, President Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
PM Modi also spoke with US President Biden and Russian President Putin on phone later. NSA Ajit Doval also visited Moscow last week and spoke with President Putin, where he briefed the latter about PM Modi's Kyiv visit.
“The leaders are in consultation… And on the question of a peace proposal we will have to see how much agreement can be made, and present it before the larger international community,” the Foreign Secretary said.
India has said that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward to a solution to the Ukraine conflict and that both parties to the conflict – Russia and Ukraine – have to sit at the table and thrash out matters. India has also said peace cannot be found on the battlefield.
UNI RN