New Delhi: While US President Donald Trump’s efforts focus on building pressure on Russia and Ukraine not to strike each other’s oil refineries, India seems to be involved in broader discussions aimed at achieving a more comprehensive cessation of hostilities, according to a report.
The Geopolitical Monitor report highlights that New Delhi has proposed a three-part truce between Russia and Ukraine that would stop attacks on energy facilities and other infrastructure, ensure the continued flow of grain and energy through Black Sea ports, and end attacks on commercial ships.
The proposal, conveyed to Ukrainian officials during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Kyiv in September, goes beyond separate ceasefire initiatives put forward by Turkey, Egypt, and the United States and seeks to address both infrastructure and maritime security while maintaining vital commodity flows, states the report by Nikola Mikovic.
“We have four proposals. The broadest is India’s proposal. We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in this combination,” the report cited Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha as saying, adding that an energy ceasefire would mean a complete halt to strikes on all energy facilities, including port infrastructure.
The remarks suggest that Kyiv is open to New Delhi’s broader diplomatic initiative. Although the Kremlin also welcomed India’s efforts, Moscow described the plan as “addressing only one specific aspect of a potential settlement”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also echoed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assessment that there were currently “no prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the war”, arguing that the conditions for negotiations were “not yet in place”.
Russia has repeatedly stressed that it is seeking only a “sustainable just peace”, rather than a ceasefire. From Moscow’s perspective, a truce would only give Ukraine time to regroup, rearm, and prepare for another round of fighting. For Kyiv, under the current circumstances, an energy ceasefire alone, without a broader agreement addressing other aspects of the conflict, does not seem particularly useful either, the report stated.
It underscores that although Russia continues to strike Ukrainian power plants daily, Kyiv has also managed to inflict significant damage on Russia’s energy sector. Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries have contributed to fuel shortages, with queues at gas stations across the country becoming commonplace and forcing Moscow to suspend fuel exports. Russia, despite its enormous energy resources, is now forced to import fuel not only from neighbouring Kazakhstan and Belarus, but also from India.
Consequently, energy ties between Moscow and New Delhi are no longer one-sided: while Russia continues to supply crude oil to India, it also imports refined petroleum products from its South Asian partner. Even though the world’s most populous country benefits from these trade arrangements, it also has an interest in ending the war through diplomacy and reducing the risks to the global economy, the report pointed out.
India’s economic position also shapes its approach to the conflict. With the IMF raising its GDP growth forecast for the country to 7 per cent, New Delhi has a clear interest in limiting the economic fallout of a prolonged war. Disruptions to energy supplies, maritime trade, and food markets carry costs that extend well beyond Europe, making a ceasefire a matter of economic interest as much as diplomacy, the report added.
–IANS–
