Bloomberg: India agreed to relay messages between Zelensky and Putin

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not agree to mediate in the settlement of Russiaʼs war in Ukraine. However, the country agrees to relay messages between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Bloomberg writes about this with reference to sources.

As the agency notes, Modiʼs reluctance to help end the war is partly explained by Indiaʼs dependence on Russia for cheap oil and weapons. New Delhi has refrained from criticizing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and increased its purchases of Russian oil to record levels.

Bloombergʼs interlocutors emphasized that it is important for Zelensky to meet with Modi to discuss Indiaʼs role in restoring peace in the region. India plays a central role in Zelenskyʼs quest to win the favor of key countries of the so-called Global South.

However, the meeting with Modi is unlikely to lead to any major announcements, although several deals, including in the agriculture and defense sectors, are in the pipeline, the sources added.

India is the largest importer of equipment and weapons systems, and Modi wants to change this situation by boosting domestic defense production. Especially since after Western sanctions against Russia, India stopped receiving weapons from the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian state-owned company “Zorya-Mashproekt” is negotiating with Indian private companies on the joint production of gas turbines used on warships, sources told Bloomberg. The two countries are also discussing the production of aircraft and aircraft engines in India.

• In early July, Modi arrived in Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin for the first time in 5 years. There he called for peace between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and also asked Putin to release all Indians from the Russian army
• On August 19, the Indian Foreign Ministry officially announced that Modi would visit Ukraine — the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia.