India exchanges ideas on ‘food corridors’ with Russia, Ukraine

India has exchanged ideas with Russia and Ukraine on opening “food corridors” to facilitate grain exports from Black Sea ports as part of a broader ceasefire proposal and is working with other stakeholders for the return of peace in the region, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday.During a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that India can take the lead in ensuring uninterrupted food supplies through the Black Sea by mediating the establishment of food corridors. (PTI)During a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that India can take the lead in ensuring uninterrupted food supplies through the Black Sea by mediating the establishment of food corridors. The conversation was followed by a phone call between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s three-part ceasefire proposal focused on the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea, energy and grain exports and stopping attacks on infrastructure, and told a regular media briefing that the Indian side has formally taken up the issue of food corridors with Russia and Ukraine.“On the issue of food corridors, we have exchanged ideas with both sides. India remains in touch with both sides, as well as with interested parties, to contribute towards the return of peace to the region,” he said without going into details.Jaiswal’s remarks marked the first acknowledgement from the Indian side about the work on food corridors. The move is also in line with India’s efforts to protect the interests of the countries of the Global South, which have been hit by food, fuel and fertiliser shortages since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.Modi and Zelensky shared perspectives on the ongoing conflict during their phone conversation, and discussed its humanitarian aspects and various efforts to restore peace that are currently underway, Jaiswal said. Modi reiterated India’s firm commitment to contribute towards peace in every possible way, and this was followed by the call between Jaishankar and Lavrov that focused on diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the conflict, he said.“India has been emphasising that the way forward is to take the path of dialogue and diplomacy. In recent months, our PM has expressed that ‘endless wars must now give way to end of war’,” Jaiswal said. “In keeping with this idea of bringing peace to the region, India has been engaged with both Russia and Ukraine and we have conveyed certain ideas to them.”These ideas include the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea, addressing immediate concerns of Russia and Ukraine related to grain and energy exports, and “non-attack possibilities” or stopping attacks on infrastructure.India’s contacts with the leadership of Russia and Ukraine came even as the two sides were preparing for talks brokered by the US in Abu Dhabi. People familiar with the matter said the Indian side is also in touch with other parties in Europe, including the European Union and the “E3”, or France, Germany and the UK, which have been engaged in diplomatic and security initiatives aimed at ending the hostilities.Zelensky, in his conversation with Modi on Monday, said India should “identify what steps it can take and what dialogue it can pursue with other leaders to help bring the war to an end”. He proposed food security as an area where India can contribute at a time when Russia is “blocking” grain exports via the Black Sea. “India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue,” Zelensky said.India is among the very few countries that have maintained contacts with Russia and Ukraine since the start of the conflict. Modi has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky several times on the need to end the war, emphasising that solutions cannot be found on the battlefield or under the shadow of the gun.Jaishankar had conveyed India’s ceasefire proposal when he visited Kyiv on September 3 and met Zelensky and foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. Both Russia and Ukraine have welcomed the proposal.