Ahead of Abu Dhabi peace talks, Modi speaks to Zelenskyy; Jaishankar speaks to Lavrov

Learn the reported action together with its current status. NEW DELHI India is ready to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to establish “food corridors”, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, welcoming the offer after a telephone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the Ukraine-Russia peace talks set to begin in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The call was followed by another call between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in the clearest indication thus far of the mediatory role that New Delhi is now playing between Moscow and Kyiv.

Check the reported status and any stated limitations; do not assume an outcome beyond the source.

Distinguish the reported action from any further step explicitly stated in the report. On October 22, during the visit of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to Delhi, Indian officials had said it had reached out to both Russian and Ukrainian governments with a “four-point proposal” for an agreement that would stop attacks on civilians, allow grain and energy exports from both countries through the Black Sea, and end the targeting of ships and seafarers, many of whom are Indian nationals.

• “Prime Minister [Modi] reaffirmed India’s human-centric approach and reiterated India’s consistent position that the conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement about the Modi-Zelenskyy call. • Mr. Jaishankar, who has been discussing India’s proposals on a grain export agreement or a food corridor in the Black Sea, on the safety of sea mariners, and safe passage for energy shipments with both countries, had first disclosed the initiatives during a visit to Poland and Ukraine in September. • With talks set to begin on Tuesday, it remains to be seen whether India will join the dialogue already in play with the U.S. and the UAE, or whether New Delhi plans a larger role in mediating or hosting talks between Russia and Ukraine in the future.