'We are grateful to India': Zelensky meets Jaishankar, praises New Delhi's push to end Russia-Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday praised India for its "commitment to ending" the war Russia. His comments came after he met visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Kyiv.

“I met with India’s Minister of External Affairs. We discussed important issues," Zelensky wrote on X. "We are grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war – Russia’s war against Ukraine. This certainly must not be a time of war. Peace is needed. This is India’s clear position.”

Zelensky said Russia launched jet-powered Shahed drones while Jaishankar was in Kyiv, adding that the drones were developed with Iran’s help.

“Today, while the Minister was here with us in Kyiv, Russia once again launched jet-powered “shaheds,” which were developed not without Iran’s help,” he noted.

He also said the Indian delegation remained safe because Ukrainian fighter jets intercepted most of the drones.

“Thanks to our combat aviation, the delegation was safe, because it is Ukrainian fighter jets that shoot down most of these drones,” the Ukrainian President said.

Zelensky also called on other major powers to take a clear position on ending the conflict and securing lasting peace.

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“We hope that other major world powers will also take a clear stance that this war must end and that a reliable peace must be achieved,” he said.

Zelensky said he and Jaishankar also discussed the situation in the Black Sea, including threats to civilian shipping.

“Of course, we discussed the situation in the Black Sea, including the existing threats to civilian shipping. We concur that it is absolutely unacceptable to block food supplies to regions where this is a highly sensitive issue and where people depend on these maritime routes,” Zelensky said.

He accused Russia of blocking Ukrainian ports, its food corridor and supplies, saying the actions were causing wider disruption.

“Russia’s actions aimed at blocking our ports, our food corridor, and our supplies are causing major disruption to global relations. We must all work together to guarantee security,” Zelensky said.

Jaishankar's Ukraine visit

Jaishankar is on an official visit to Ukraine and Poland, where he is holding talks with senior officials on bilateral ties, regional developments and issues of mutual interest. In Kyiv, he held wide-ranging talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

India on Thursday said it was ready to extend any help in any manner to help end the Russia-Ukraine war.

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“India has consistently maintained that this is not an era of war, and that solutions will not emerge from the battlefield,” Jaishankar said in a joint press statement alongside Sybiha after their talks.

“If India can be of any help, in any manner, we are there,” EAM said.

His visit comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit (SCO). During the meeting, Modi said that “endless war must now give way to the end of war”.

India has consistently called for the Russia-Ukraine conflict to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, while maintaining engagement with both Moscow and Kyiv.

(With inputs from agency)