MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already indicated India's willingness to play a constructive role in the interest of peace

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that India has always advocated constructive, solution-oriented, and practical engagement with all stakeholders to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy has proposed a peace summit in India to push a plan to end the war with Russia. The proposal was put to PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Ukraine last week, Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified discussing private talks.

Zelenskiyy is seeking to convene a second gathering of world leaders before the US presidential election in November, building on the momentum from a summit held in June. The purpose of the June meeting is to garner support from nations in the Global South for Ukraine’s position in its ongoing conflict with Russia, which has lasted for over two and a half years.

A potential gathering in India would be seen as a significant step forward for Kyiv, as India has thus far been cautious about supporting Ukraine’s initiative due to Russia’s exclusion. During his visit on August 23, PM Modi expressed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders, but has yet to confirm whether India will host the proposed meeting, the people told Bloomberg.

The diplomatic effort has taken on new urgency as Russian forces have taken control of what it described as the strategically important logistics hub of Niu-York in eastern Ukraine, part of Moscow’s grinding drive to capture the entire Donetsk region and Ukrainian forces crashed through Russia’s western border into the Kursk region on Aug. 6 in a surprise offensive that is continuing.

With both sides on the offensive, a diplomatic resolution to the full-blown conflict that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022 remains a distant prospect.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that India has always advocated constructive, solution-oriented, and practical engagement with all stakeholders to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The statement came days after PM Narendra Modi returned from his visit to Ukraine where he had met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and advocated India’s stand on achieving peace through dialogue.

While addressing a weekly media briefing on Friday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already indicated India’s willingness to play a constructive role in the interest of peace. He noted that the decision on when and how to begin peace talks is the prerogative of the two parties to the conflict.

When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked India to host Peace Summit, Jaiswal said, “We have always advocated constructive, solution-oriented, and practical engagement with all stakeholders to achieve a negotiated settlement to this conflict. This is evident in our approach. In our outreach to both Russia and Ukraine at the highest level, PM has already indicated India’s willingness to play a constructive role in the interest of peace.”

“However, it is too early to comment on specific modalities and pathways at this stage. The decision to when and how to commence peace talks is the prerogative of the two parties to the conflict. As friends and partners, we would support any feasible and mutually acceptable solution or format that could restore peace. So that is our stand on the question that you raised,” he added.

Russia had separately announced the formation of new military groupings in Kursk and two other border regions as it tries to repel the incursion without diverting forces from front lines deep inside Ukraine.

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said a new coordinating body had “already” begun working round the clock to liaise between regional authorities, troop commanders and the defence ministry.

But the timing of his announcement - a full two weeks after Ukrainian forces smashed through Russia’s western border - served to emphasise the delayed nature of Moscow’s response. He did not say why such smooth coordination had not been possible previously.

Zelenskyy had expressed confidence that India had a role in bringing peace to the conflict-ridden region. Ukraine has expressed openness to including Russia in the process, though the Kremlin has repeatedly made clear it has no intention of engaging with Kyiv’s blueprint.

(With Inputs From Agencies)