Key facts
- Zelensky said he asked India to identify steps and dialogue with other leaders to help end the war.
- Zelensky said food security could be one area of Indian help, citing Russia's blocking of Black Sea grain exports.
- Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the US are to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, per the report.
- Zelensky said India was ready to help mediate the establishment of food corridors.
- India has kept a neutral stance in the war while becoming one of Moscow's leading oil buyers, per the report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 9 that he held a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the latest diplomatic developments, as Kyiv heads for a new round of peace talks with Moscow. Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the US will meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss a path toward ending the war, an effort the report describes as effectively deadlocked since February.
"It is important that India identify what steps it can take and what dialogue it can pursue with other leaders to help bring the war to an end," Zelensky said on X. "Food security could be one such area. We discussed Russia's blocking of grain exports via the Black Sea," he said, adding that India is ready to help mediate the establishment of food corridors.
Zelensky also said Modi had told the Russian leader directly that the time had come to end the war, not continue it. The report gives no terms under which India would mediate.
New Delhi has maintained a neutral stance in the war, calling for a diplomatic resolution while bolstering trade ties with Russia and emerging as one of Moscow's leading oil buyers. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv on September 3, where he reportedly pitched a ceasefire proposal that would include a pause in strikes against energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping, largely mirroring proposals already discussed by Kyiv and Washington. Days later, Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, where he said dialogue and diplomacy remain the way forward in resolving conflicts.