Russia an essential part of talks on Ukraine conflict: Jaishankar

India believes that Russia’s participation is essential to take forward any negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, and New Delhi is open to any serious step towards peace, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

Jaishankar made the remarks while addressing a media briefing in Berlin following talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock during which the Russia-Ukraine conflict was extensively discussed. The comments also came against the backdrop of a renewed push for peace talks and speculation about a possible role for India in bringing the warring countries to the negotiating table.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the margins of the G7 Summit in Italy in June, and his visits to Moscow and Ukraine in the past two months, Jaishankar said the Indian premier had detailed and long discussions with both President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.

India’s position, he said, is based on some postulates – one, that differences and disputes cannot be settled through war; two, that a solution won’t emerge from the battlefield, and that negotiations are the “only way forward”. He added: “At some point, there has to be a negotiation. When there is a discussion, we also think it is essential to have Russia in it, otherwise the discussions don’t gain further movement.”

Jaishankar sidestepped questions on whether India will take up Zelensky’s proposal for hosting the second peace summit on Ukraine and only said that New Delhi will back any serious move ending the conflict.

“Suggestions have been made [about India hosting the peace summit] from time to time but let me say this – for us, this is not about a process or about being seen to do something. What is important for us is the reality of the conflict that is taking place today. So, we are always open to any step that is serious, that is impactful and that is, in our view, a step towards peace,” he said.

India participated in a series of preparatory meetings ahead of the first peace summit on Ukraine that was hosted by Switzerland in June. India sent a senior diplomat to that summit but didn’t join the joint communique “for a variety of reasons”, Jaishankar said.

He noted that India has also been involved in several specific initiatives related to the Ukraine conflict, such as the opening of a corridor last year for the export of grains from Ukraine and matters related to the security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

“Where India is concerned, it’s up to what the two parties [Russia and Ukraine] want. We continuously talk to them,” he said, pointing out that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is currently visiting Russia.

Participating in a discussion with Baerbock at the German foreign ministry ahead of their formal talks, Jaishankar also said India could not set the terms for negotiations but could offer advice to Russia and Ukraine. “It’s not for us to tell you what terms [for talks]. If you want advice, we are always willing to give it. That’s really the position that we’ve taken,” he said.

At the media briefing, Baerbock described Modi’s visit to Ukraine in August as an “important signal”, and said any Indian backing for Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan would have Germany’s “full support”. She also noted that India has “channels to Russia” due to the long-standing relations between the two countries.

While Europe has been working with Ukraine for peace for the past two-and-a-half years, Baerbock contended that Russia had pulled back from all steps towards peace suggested by European and African countries and Turkey and instead continued his attacks on the “peaceful European order”.

Russia was invited to be part of the peace summit process but its government said it wasn’t not considering attending such meetings without Ukraine ceding various territories, she said. “This shows the Russian government still has the goal it had on Feb 24, 2022 – they want to destroy Ukraine [and] for them, it’s not about negotiations,” she added, speaking in German.

Russia was involved in violations of the airspace of EU and NATO members and is engaging in “hybrid warfare”, Baerbock said. “A dictated peace or what Putin imagines – having a break for arming up again to subjugate the whole of Ukraine or threaten other neighbouring countries such as Moldova – this needs to be discussed when we talk about peace,” she said.