Jaishankar Speaks With Lavrov on Ukraine War as India Renews Push for Dialogue

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the war in Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts around it at the centre of the conversation. Jaishankar shared the update on X, saying the discussion was about the Ukraine conflict and ongoing diplomatic initiatives.

India’s Message on Peace

The call comes amid busy diplomatic contact between New Delhi and Kyiv. India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as evidence that India still sees dialogue and diplomacy as the best way to end the war. Kwatra said India is ready to help in every possible way toward a peaceful settlement while also building its bilateral ties with Ukraine.

What Modi and Zelenskyy Discussed

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Zelenskyy briefed Modi on his assessment of the latest developments in the conflict. Modi took stock of India-Ukraine cooperation, and the two leaders agreed to strengthen relations across several sectors. The Prime Minister thanked Zelenskyy for sharing his views on the war, its humanitarian impact and the various peace initiatives. He also restated India’s “human-centric approach” and its willingness to support any effort that leads to peace.

Zelenskyy: Abu Dhabi Meeting and India’s Role

After the call, Zelenskyy said he had updated Modi on recent diplomatic moves and that his team is preparing every agenda item for a meeting in Abu Dhabi. He said Ukraine has taken a constructive approach and expects Russia to show the same willingness to de-escalate. Zelenskyy added that Modi has repeatedly said, including directly to the Russian leader, that the time has come to end the war. He suggested India could look at which steps and conversations with other leaders would help, and named food security as one possible area.

Black Sea Grain and Food Corridors

Zelenskyy said the two leaders also discussed Russia’s blocking of grain exports through the Black Sea. He claimed India is ready to mediate in setting up food corridors, and he hopes those efforts will continue. In his view, blocked sea lanes are hurting the global economy and affecting hundreds of millions of people. The two sides agreed that their teams will remain in contact on these and other bilateral matters.

Taken together, the two conversations show New Delhi keeping channels open with both Moscow and Kyiv while repeating its call for dialogue.