Indian initiative to end the Ukrainian war

India's foreign policy has witnessed increasing momentum, from hosting the BRICS summit to playing an active role in seeking to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. India has presented a peace proposal to both Russia and Ukraine in light of the escalation of fighting between the two countries and the exchange of attacks targeting energy infrastructure and ships in the Black Sea, affecting the movement of energy supplies and grains exported by Ukraine. Emphasizing India's continued role in helping to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Ssibha stated that his country had received from India the most comprehensive proposal for a ceasefire with Russia. This is the first time that India has put forward this proposal publicly, which includes provisions that include a truce in the energy sector and a cessation of hostilities in the Black Sea region, in addition to openness to the idea of ​​a ceasefire on the front lines. The Indian proposal is one of four proposals submitted by other parties, including Turkey, Egypt and the United States. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that his country is ready to accept a combination of a ceasefire in the energy sector and a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Reliable sources indicate that the Indian proposal is the most comprehensive, and it is the first time that New Delhi has offered to play a role in this context, while the proposals of Turkey and Egypt include provisions for a truce related to grains in the Black Sea, while the American proposal focuses on a truce in the energy sector to stop strikes targeting the energy infrastructure. India enjoys good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, which places it in theA privileged position to play the role of mediator in the Ukrainian conflict. India has long embraced a policy of strategic independence, which allows it to flexibly deal with geopolitical dividing lines and maintain a foothold on various sides. As a result of this policy, India's membership is not limited to the Quad, which includes Australia, Japan, and the United States, but it is also a member of BRICS, which includes Russia, China, and Iran. Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, India continued to call for dialogue and diplomacy, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressing that humanity must move away from “endless war” and move towards lasting peace. Relations between India and the two sides of the war witnessed regular exchanges at the highest levels. In early September, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kiev, where he held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart. Likewise, India also has close and traditional relations with Russia, as the historical relationship between the two countries dates back to the Cold War era, when they were close allies. It has continued to supply India with military equipment and nuclear technology even after the West imposed sanctions following India's nuclear tests in 1998 and restricted technology transfers. But over the past few decades, the relationship has changed as a result of major geopolitical shifts, with India drawing closer to the United States over shared concerns about the rise of China, while Russia has moved closer to China and Pakistan. With both India and Russia facing different pressures on the global stage, their relationship has recently returned to the spotlight with greater force. Because of the conflict in Iran,Russia has become an important supplier of oil to India. Although imports recorded their lowest level in five months in September, after reaching a peak of 2.8 million barrels per day in July 2026, this was due to a decline in supplies due to a decrease in Russian exports, disruption of port traffic in the Black Sea as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks, and a rise in Chinese demand for oil. However, India continued to maintain its communication with Russia. Last August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization leaders' summit in Kyrgyzstan, where he urged the Russian leader to end the war in Ukraine. In fact, Putin highlighted India's peace efforts, praising Modi for having "good ideas" about reaching a peaceful solution. The Indian Prime Minister constantly raised the issue of ending the conflict in Ukraine, for which Russia expressed its gratitude to the Indian Prime Minister. However, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, and the two sides do not yet appear to be close to a ceasefire. Ukraine has targeted Russia's energy infrastructure in an attempt to weaken Moscow's ability to finance the war through energy revenues. Russia is targeting Ukraine's economic facilities in response to the Kiev attacks that targeted Russian oil refineries. It has also begun targeting its ships in the Black Sea, as the attacks on Russian refineries caused losses equivalent to 1% of the country's gross domestic product. As for India, the war in Ukraine and the Iranian conflict affect its grain and energy supply chains. The Foreign Minister has warnedAl-Hindi faces a “major food crisis” in the coming months, and highlighted the major fertilizer shortage that the world is witnessing due to the wars in Ukraine and Iran. There is no doubt that this situation represents a “major concern” for India.