Atlanta [US], November 1 (ANI): Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday (local time) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the Ukraine conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi and before that in Bishkek, as India continues diplomatic engagement with Russia, Ukraine and the United States on measures to prevent attacks on civilian shipping, restore grain exports and protect energy infrastructure.
Speaking exclusively to ANI on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, Jaishankar said India had held discussions with Russia, European countries and Ukraine on three key aspects of the ongoing conflict.
“Prime Minister himself had a discussion with President Putin in Delhi and before that in Bishkek,” Jaishankar said, referring to India’s diplomatic engagement on the Ukraine conflict.
He said India had been discussing the matter with the Russian and Ukrainian sides, adding that he had visited Moscow earlier and subsequently travelled to Kyiv. He also said he had discussed the issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“We have also been coordinating this with the Americans because they have their own peace mediation initiative. So Secretary Rubio knows properly what is going on here,” Jaishankar said.
Elaborating on the issues under discussion, he said the first priority was to ensure that civilian shipping and seafarers were not attacked. The second was to find a way to restore grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, both major suppliers to global markets, which have been sharply affected by disruptions in the Black Sea.
“One not to attack civilian shipping and seafarers. The second is to find a way by which the grain exports from both Russia and Ukraine. Then these are two major exporters of grains for the global markets. Find a way of restoring that flow because that flow has cut down very sharply in the Black Sea,” he said.
Jaishankar said the third issue concerned energy, including preventing attacks on energy infrastructure and shipments.
“Non-attack on energy is probably the most complicated piece because it means different things to the different players,” he said, listing refineries, electricity grids and ships carrying fuel among the concerns.
He added that India had been trying to bring the sides together to address these issues, but said he would not be in a position to share details of the current state of discussions publicly.
At the G20 meeting, Jaishankar also reiterated India’s position that ongoing global conflicts required diplomatic solutions rather than military escalation.
“Look, there are big conflicts today, two major conflicts which are having global ramifications,” he said, adding that “there are no military solutions; we have to find a diplomatic pathway.”
During discussions on energy and food security, Jaishankar flagged the impact of disruptions in fuel distribution and energy markets on developing economies.
“This distortion of the energy markets, the politicisation of energy flows, this is something which is very harmful,” he said, adding that “the Global South was bearing the brunt of the energy shortages and that something needs to be done.”
He also raised concerns over grain shipment disruptions in the Black Sea and fertiliser shortages exacerbated by regional tensions in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea corridors.
On supply chain resilience, the focus of the concluding plenary session, Jaishankar called for greater diversification of global production and manufacturing networks.
“Today we need more diversified supply chains,” he said, advocating “more globalised, you know, more diversified production, more diversified manufacturing.”
In a post on X after the session, Jaishankar said securing supply chains and ensuring their resilience was central to the well-being of the global economy. He called for promoting the “right to industrialise”, resisting “predatory practices” and working towards the “de-politicisation of markets”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the meeting, also emphasised the need for secure supply chains and said critical trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, must remain open to commerce.
Earlier on Saturday, Jaishankar participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta with Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. On the sidelines of the G20 meeting, he also met Lavrov and discussed the Ukraine conflict, the Gulf situation and multilateral issues.
The US holds the G20 presidency this year. (ANI)
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