New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held a “useful” conversation with his Ukranian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba focusing on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Kyiv’s peace formula and ways to advance bilateral ties.
The phone conversation came days after Jaishankar paid a five-day visit to Russia during which he held extensive talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called on President Vladimir Putin.
“A useful conversation with FM @DmytroKuleb of Ukraine today. Discussed advancing our bilateral cooperation in the year ahead. Exchanged views on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” the external affairs minister said on X.
On his part, Kuleba said he conveyed to his Indian counterpart the “peace formula” and Ukraine’s plan for the ‘Global Peace Summit’ of leaders.
“My first call in 2024 was with @DrSJaishankar on Ukrainian-Indian relations. I informed my counterpart of Russia’s recent escalation of terror and mass air attacks, which caused civilian suffering and destruction,” he said in a post on X.
“We discussed further cooperation on the Peace Formula. In this regard, I informed my counterpart of Ukraine’s vision for the Global Peace Summit of leaders,” he said.
“We agreed to hold the first meeting of the India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission since 2018 in the near future,” Kuleba said.
He added that the “rejuvenation of this primary mechanism of our bilateral ties will allow us to jointly move forward in a comprehensive manner.” Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put forward a 10-point “peace plan” for ending the conflict that included punishing those responsible for the war crimes, withdrawing all Russian troops from Ukraine, and restoring his country’s territorial integrity.
Under the plan, he also called for ensuring energy security, food security, and nuclear safety.
India has been maintaining that the Ukraine crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
At a bilateral meeting with Putin on September 16, 2022 in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Today’s era is not of war” and nudged the Russian leader to end the conflict.
In May last year, Modi held in-person talks with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
Jaishankar visited Russia from December 25 to 29. PTI MPB ZMN
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