Kyiv [Ukraine], August 27 (ANI): Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Wednesday spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and briefed him on the “difficult situation” in the Black Sea amid what Ukraine alleges are intensified Russian strikes on its ports and maritime routes.
In a post on X, Sybiha said, “I had a phone call with India’s External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar. I briefed him on the difficult situation in the Black Sea as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine and intensified attacks on our ports and maritime routes,” he said.
https://x.com/andrii_sybiha/status/2092670260348363037
Sybiha said he also raised concerns over what he alleged were Russian attempts to disrupt Ukrainian food exports, saying these posed a threat to global food security.
“I underscored that Russia’s attempts to disrupt Ukrainian food exports pose a direct threat to global food security, reaching far beyond our region and putting millions of families worldwide at risk,” he said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said the two sides discussed measures to restore and secure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
“We discussed ways to restore and secure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea,” Sybiha said.
He added that the conversation also covered Ukraine-India bilateral cooperation and ways to advance their “mutually beneficial agenda”.
“We also spoke about the development of Ukraine-India bilateral cooperation and ways to advance our mutually beneficial agenda,” he said.
Sybiha said the two sides also coordinated their upcoming contacts and agreed to remain in close touch. “We coordinated our upcoming contacts and agreed to remain in close touch,” he said.
The call came after Sybiha’s previous call to Jaishankar on July 31. In a post on X, he said that he briefed the EAM on the outcomes of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Washington, where he met US President Donald Trump and exchanged updates on their respective international engagements.
“As part of our continued dialogue, I had a good call with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. We exchanged updates on our recent international contacts and I briefed my Indian colleague on the outcomes of President Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Washington, D.C.,” Sybiha said in his post.
Sybiha said Ukraine believes attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea undermine freedom of navigation and pose risks to global food security.
“I stressed that the consequences of Russian aggression extend far beyond Ukraine’s borders. By attacking civilian vessels in the Black Sea, Russia undermines freedom of navigation and puts global food security at risk,” he said.
He added that the ongoing conflict was also affecting global energy markets and creating wider instability.
“At the same time, its continued war fuels instability in global energy markets, affecting countries far beyond our region,” Sybiha said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister reaffirmed Kyiv’s commitment to achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace and encouraged India to play an active role in peace efforts.
“I reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace and encouraged India to play an active role in peace efforts. We agreed to remain in close contact,” Sybiha said. (ANI)
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