India has emerged as one of the countries whose proposals are being considered for restoring safe commercial shipping in the Black Sea, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Egypt, India and Turkey have outlined options for a maritime truce between Russia and Ukraine.Speaking to leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to support a maritime truce based on the proposals and that Russia now needed to respond.“We are waiting for Russia’s response. Ukraine is ready … to ensure safe shipping and food security in the Black Sea if Russia is ready to take real steps towards de-escalation too. We have to start somewhere,” Zelenskyy said.The remarks came at Ukraine’s Crimean Platform summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
India has been pushing for dialogue
The reference to India’s role comes amid New Delhi’s efforts to remain engaged with both Moscow and Kyiv and encourage an end to the conflict.External affairs minister S Jaishankar said earlier this month that India had been in continuous touch with both Ukraine and Russia and was exploring ideas that could contribute to mitigating and eventually ending the war.“What we are trying to do is to see if there are ideas and suggestions which can be developed in some way in which they will contribute to the mitigation, ideally, the cessation of the conflict,” Jaishankar said during his visit to Warsaw.Jaishankar has also said India’s position is that the conflict should end through dialogue and diplomacy.During his visit to Kyiv earlier this month, he met Zelenskyy and Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, with discussions including possible approaches to ending the conflict.“If India can be of any help, in any manner, we are there,” Jaishankar said in Kyiv.
Black Sea shipping remains key concern
According to Reuters, Zelenskyy said Egypt, India and Turkey had proposed options to restore safe navigation for merchant vessels in the Black Sea, where cargo movements have been severely disrupted by attacks on ships and port infrastructure by both sides.Ukraine has been seeking ceasefires covering attacks on energy infrastructure as well as shipping in the Black Sea. Kyiv has also expressed concern that Russia could target power and heating facilities with missiles and drones during the winter.The disruption has also affected countries dependent on grain supplies from the Black Sea region. Reuters reported that wheat importers in Asia, the Middle East and Africa have faced difficulties securing supplies, while global wheat prices have risen.Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to ensure safe shipping and food security if Russia was prepared to take steps towards de-escalation.
Russia yet to back proposals
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said after meeting Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday that both Russia and Ukraine had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy.
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The Kremlin has not publicly backed the proposals.Ahead of the Rubio-Lavrov meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were currently no grounds for broader peace talks, while maintaining that Russia remained open to negotiations.“For now, there are no prerequisites for moving on to a peaceful negotiating track, although we, as the Russian side, remain open to peace talks,” Peskov said.Zelenskyy also said he was ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a trilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump.The latest developments come as India continues its diplomatic engagement with both sides.Jaishankar met US secretary of state Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and discussed the Ukraine situation, as well as India’s concerns over the US Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.