Zelenskyy dials PM Modi, seeks help with ‘peace formula’

After the phone conversation, Zelenskyy tweeted, “I had a phone call with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished (for) a successful G-20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN.”

His formula calls for withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, release of prisoners, restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and guarantees on nuclear safety, food and energy security.

Since February 24, New Delhi has provided 12 consignments, totalling 99.3 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, to Ukraine and neighbouring countries. These include medicines, blankets, tents, tarpaulin, medical equipment.

Confirming the phone call, the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi said, in a statement, “The leaders exchanged views about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi strongly reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and said that both sides should revert to dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to their differences.”

“Prime Minister also conveyed India’s support for any peace efforts, and assured India’s commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance for (the) affected civilian population,” the statement said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with PM Narendra Modi via phone, in Kyiv on Monday. (Reuters)

The PMO statement said that the Ukrainian President “conveyed his best wishes for India’s Presidency of the G20”. “Prime Minister explained the main priorities of India’s G20 Presidency, including giving a voice to the concerns of developing nations on issues like food and energy security”, it said.

It added: “The two leaders discussed opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation. (The) Prime Minister requested Ukraine authorities to facilitate arrangements for the continued education of Indian students who had to return from Ukraine earlier this year.” About 20,000 Indian students returned from Ukraine this year.

The Zelenskyy-Modi phone call came 10 days after Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Modi and discussed the situation in Ukraine and India-Russia bilateral ties. This was their fifth phone conversation this year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Modi did not go to Russia for the annual summit this year.

While the Indian government’s statement had said that Modi reiterated his call for “dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward”, the Kremlin’s statement did not make any mention of this, and instead said that “at the request of Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin gave fundamental assessments of Russia’s line on the Ukrainian direction”.

There was no mention of Modi’s now-famous statement to Putin in Samarkand that this is “not an era of war”.

There were divergences on the bilateral front as well. While India had said the two leaders reviewed “several aspects of the bilateral relationship, including energy cooperation, trade and investments, defence and security cooperation, and other key areas”, the Russian statement did not mention “defence and security”, and said they discussed the prospects for “practical interaction” in “mutual investment, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics”.

Modi and Putin last met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 16 this year. At that time, Modi had told Putin that this is “not an era of war” – a formulation that was reflected in the G20’s Bali Declaration as well.

These conversations come in the backdrop of the 10-month-long Russia-Ukraine conflict, in which India has sought to maintain a diplomatic balancing act between the two sides.

While India has not explicitly condemned the Russian invasion, it has called for an international probe into the Bucha massacre and expressed concern over nuclear threats issued by Russian leaders.

At the UN Security Council, India has taken a nuanced position and has abstained from voting against Russia in several resolutions since February 24.

While Modi and Zelenskyy spoke to each other in February and March which were mainly about evacuation of Indians from the war zone, in their last conversation on October 4, Modi had told the Ukrainian President that there can be no military solution to the Ukraine conflict. The two leaders had their last meeting in Glasgow in November 2021 on the sidelines of the COP-26.

In November this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had met Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and discussed ways to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, nuclear concerns and bilateral cooperation. Jaishankar and Kuleba met on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India summit in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

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