Zelensky, Modi Discuss Black Sea Food Corridors Ahead of Abu Dhabi Talks

India appears ready to help mediate the creation of food corridors in the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky said following a telephone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite Russia’s previous rejection of all such proposals.The discussion came ahead of trilateral talks with Washington and Moscow scheduled for Nov. 10-11. In a statement on Monday, Nov. 9, Zelensky said he briefed Modi on the latest diplomatic developments in the Russo-Ukrainian war.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“We are actively preparing on every item on the agenda for the meeting in Abu Dhabi,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine has always taken a constructive approach, and Russia must show the same readiness to de-escalate.”Zelensky noted that Modi has repeatedly said, including directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, that now is the time to end the war.However, he urged New Delhi to go further and identify concrete steps, as well as what dialogue it could pursue with other leaders, to help bring the full-scale invasion to a close.Food security as a starting pointZelensky pointed to food security as one area where India’s involvement could possibly make a difference.Russia’s blocking of grain exports through the Black Sea remained central to the agenda, while Zelensky and Modi agreed that their teams would stay in touch regarding the issue.“India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue,” Zelensky said. “Russia must understand that the global economy and hundreds of millions of people around the world are suffering because of blocked sea routes.” Other Topics of Interest Oleshky Ceasefire: How Russia Exploited It, and What Now? The Oleshky operation did go the way it was presented in Washington – neither for Ukraine nor the local population. The offer builds on previous discussions with India.Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Oct. 4. that New Delhi was in contact with both the Russian and Ukrainian sides about restoring safe navigation in the Black Sea.“We are trying to be helpful, starting with the Black Sea safety of shipping issue,” he said at the time.A trade route under consistent fireConsistent attacks on ports, grain terminals and commercial shipping vessels have severely disrupted Black Sea shipping, pushing wheat prices to a three-year high, while forcing major importers to turn to more expensive suppliers.Moscow and Kyiv account for roughly a quarter of global grain exports, making disruptions in the Black Sea a major concern for global food markets.So far, the Kremlin has rebuffed every proposal to revive a Black Sea grain deal.Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said on Sept. 29 that “all possible rounds of negotiations have been tried, but without success,” adding that there are no signs of a Black Sea grain truce being reached in the upcoming months.About 30 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products are expected to go unexported this season, while Russia’s own grain exports have also fallen sharply since Ukrainian Defense Forces began striking Russian ports.The crisis has also reached beyond the two countries’ waters.In October alone, at least seven cargo vessels were targeted by drones off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, leaving about 30 sailors dead or missing and raising concerns about threats within NATO members’ economic zones.After a wave of strikes on four merchant ships killed eight people, acting Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said on Oct. 15 that “Russia bears full responsibility for these developments,” calling the strikes direct attacks on civilians.Around the same time, Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank the cargo ship Khoryv off Constanța on Oct. 23, calling it “part of Russia’s escalation process in its war in Ukraine.”While Bulgaria stopped short of directly accusing Moscow, its Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome of such attacks benefits Russia.NATO has since said it will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea.Meanwhile, Kyiv continues warning that rising food prices could worsen hunger in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.Speaking in Warsaw on Nov. 6, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha listed de-escalation in the Black Sea among Ukraine’s priorities for the Abu Dhabi talks, alongside security guarantees, an energy truce and the return of abducted Ukrainian children.India’s diplomatic ties with MoscowThroughout the war, India has kept up economic and defense cooperation with Russia and remains one of the largest buyers of both Russian crude oil and Russian weapons.For that reason, Zelensky has repeatedly urged India, China and other major non-Western powers to use their influence over the Kremlin.Those ties have only grown stronger during this year. In 2026, India imported around 2.6 million barrels of Russian crude per day in June and July, more than half of its total crude imports. As Ukrainian strikes reduced Russia’s refining capacity, India also began shipping gasoline and other refined fuels to Russia.During a visit to New Delhi in December 2025, Putin promised “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India, despite Washington’s tariffs of up to 50% on most Indian products at the time.On Aug. 31, the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where Modi urged Putin to transition from an “endless war to ending the war.”Shortly after, Putin and Modi held a discussion on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi on Sept. 12, during which Modi reiterated that India remains prepared to support international peace efforts.