India can help broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.
Zelenskyy told The Times of India that New Delhi is a key global player and could bring Moscow to the negotiating table.
“[Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is the prime minister of a really huge country from the perspective of population, economy, influence and impact,” he said.
“Modi can influence the end of the Ukraine war. This is the huge value of him in any conflict, this is the huge value of India,” Zelenskyy added.
Ukraine has come to increasingly view India — the world’s most populous nation, which has long promoted non-alignment in its foreign relations — as its ideal intermediary in dealings with the Kremlin.
While New Delhi has consistently refrained from condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and has sought a friendly relationship with Moscow, it has spoken in support of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity. Modi vowed to be “a friend” to Kyiv and help bring about a peace deal during a visit to the Ukrainian capital in August.
Zelenskyy signaled Monday that he was open to New Delhi spearheading peace talks, saying they could “undoubtedly” take place in India.
But he added that India could put pressure on Moscow in other ways, such as “blocking of Russian economy, blocking of cheap energy resource, blocking of defense-industrial complex of Russia.”
