India's ceasefire plan is broadest, says Ukraine amid Russia attacks

Ukraine has said India has made the “broadest” among four proposals received by Kyiv for a possible ceasefire with Russia, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha saying his country is ready to consider a truce covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea. The comments came as diplomatic activity around the conflict continued and amid intensified Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine.

The remarks also followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “very good ideas” for finding a mutually acceptable settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Putin said Modi “constantly raises the issue” of ending the conflict and brings it up at “every meeting” between the two leaders.

“We have four proposals. The broadest one is India’s proposal. We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in this combination,” Sybiha told reporters in Kyiv on Friday, according to the European Pravda newspaper. He said the proposals for a possible ceasefire had come from India, Turkiye, Egypt and the United States.

Sybiha said Kyiv was ready to consider different formats for a truce, but any agreement should cover not only combat operations but also attacks on energy and port infrastructure and the situation in the Black Sea. He has also repeated Ukraine’s call for an unconditional ceasefire along the front line. Moscow has rejected such a ceasefire, saying a comprehensive peace agreement should be reached instead.

Putin, speaking on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, said Modi, despite their close ties, “constantly raises the issue” of ending the conflict. “He has very good ideas aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions,” Putin said, according to state-run TASS news agency. Ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi last month, Putin and Modi held talks during which the Russian leader briefed the Prime Minister on the Ukraine conflict and ongoing peace initiatives. A few days earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would welcome peace efforts by India to resolve the conflict and that Moscow’s position was aligned with New Delhi’s emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy.

The war, now in its fifth year, has killed thousands of civilians, displaced millions and caused widespread destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. The Black Sea remains one of the world’s most dangerous commercial shipping zones because of missile and drone strikes by both Russia and Ukraine targeting ports, infrastructure and merchant vessels. The conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has continued despite repeated diplomatic efforts to end it.