‘Always advocated constructive dialogue,’ India on making efforts to end Ukraine conflict

Indian foreign ministry said Friday (Aug 30) that it would support a feasible and mutually acceptable solution to the ongoing war in Ukraine, being a friend and partner to both countries.

“We have always advocated constructive, solution-oriented and practical engagement with all stakeholders to achieve a negotiated settlement to this conflict. This is evident in our outreach to both Russia and Ukraine at the highest level,” the official spokesperson of the Ministry ofExternal Affairs (MEA), Randhir Jaiswal, said at a press conference.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited both the warring nations over the past two months, indicating New Delhi’s willingness to play a constructive role in the interest of peace. But India warned that it was too early to tell when the peace effort may actually commence.

“However, it is too early to comment on specific modalities and pathways at this stage. The decision as to when and how to commence peace talks is the prerogative of the two parties to the conflict,” the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Ukraine on Friday proposed holding a summit in India to end the war, Bloomberg reported citing sources. Meanwhile, New Delhisaid Kyiv had its own perspective on several issues and it is sharing them with the media.

“As far as we are concerned, we will be guided by the bilateral discussions that we have had with them, including on the high-level visit (of PM Modi) that just concluded, 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,” Jaiswaladded.

The Kremlin earlier on Wednesday backed India’s calls for peace.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that while Russia supports India's advocacy for a peaceful settlement, it is "more than obvious" that there is no basis for negotiations at the moment.

(With inputs from agencies)