Modi, Putin Held Talks On Ukraine Peace: Jaishankar

In an interview with ANI on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, Jaishankar said Modi had personally discussed the conflict with Putin, while he had visited Moscow and Kyiv for consultations and held talks with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

Jaishankar told ANI that India was engaging Russia, Ukraine, European countries and the United States to explore ways of easing the conflict. India was also coordinating its efforts with Washington, which has launched its own peace initiative, he said, adding that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was aware of the discussions.

Outlining India's three-point approach, Jaishankar said the first priority was to prevent attacks on civilian vessels and seafarers. The second was to restore grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, both major suppliers to global markets, as shipments through the Black Sea had declined sharply.

The third was to prevent attacks on energy infrastructure, including refineries, power grids and vessels transporting fuel.

Jaishankar described energy security as the most complicated issue because the parties involved had differing concerns.

He told ANI that India was trying to bring the sides together but declined to disclose details of the ongoing negotiations.

At the G20 meeting, Jaishankar reiterated India's position that major global conflicts could not be resolved militarily and required diplomatic solutions.

He also warned that disruptions in energy markets, grain shipments and fertiliser supplies were disproportionately affecting developing countries.

Calling for diversified supply chains, Jaishankar said greater resilience in global manufacturing and trade was essential.

On the sidelines of the meeting, he held separate talks with Lavrov on the Ukraine conflict, the Gulf situation and multilateral issues.