India working with Russia, Ukraine, Europe on three-point plan on shipping, grain and energy: EAM Jaishankar

Washington: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India is in discussions with Russia, Ukraine and Europe on three aspects of the conflict, protecting civilian shipping and seafarers, restoring grain exports from the Black Sea and a “non-attack on energy”, and is coordinating the effort with the United States.

Speaking to a group of Indian reporters in Atlanta on Saturday at the end of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, EAM Jaishankar set out the three elements. “We’ve had discussions with Russia. We’ve had discussions with Europe. We’ve had discussions with Ukraine also about three aspects of the current conflict: one, not to attack civilian shipping and seafarers; the second, to find a way by which the grain exports from both Russia and Ukraine… find a way of restoring that flow because that flow has cut down very sharply in the Black Sea, and the third is with regard to energy,” he said.

He described the energy element as the hardest. “Non-attack on energy is probably the most complicated piece because it means different things to the different players,” EAM Jaishankar said.

“Infrastructure itself to some would mean a refinery. To some it would mean grids. There would be issues relating to ships carrying fuel. So we have been trying to see if we can get them together to address these issues,” he said.

He said the grain issue was “a big concern for the global south because much of the purchasers of that grain are basically global south countries.” EAM Jaishankar outlined India’s contacts with both sides at the highest levels. “Prime Minister himself had, you know, discussion with(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin in Delhi, and before that in Bishkek. I had gone earlier to Moscow, and we continue even today. I discussed it with (Russian Foreign Minister) Mr. Lavrov, and then in between, I had gone to Kyiv. And we are in touch with the Ukrainian side,” he said.

India was also keeping Washington in the loop, he said. “We have also been coordinating this with the Americans, because they have their own peace mediation initiative. So Secretary Rubio knows roughly what is going on here,” EAM Jaishankar said. He declined to go into specifics.

“Beyond that, in terms of details, state of play, etc., I don’t think I’d be in a position to share that publicly,” he said. He said that at the G20 the overall message from India was that “there are no military solutions” to the two major conflicts with global ramifications, and that “we have to find a diplomatic pathway, and of course we have been active ourselves in that regard.”

On the sidelines of the G20 meeting, EAM Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He said in a post on X that he “Discussed the Ukraine conflict, Gulf situation and multilateral issues” with Lavrov.