Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar Offers Mediation During Historic Visit to Kyiv

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Kyiv on Thursday, September 3, 2026, where he stated that India is ready to help end the war in Ukraine in any manner possible. During a joint press statement with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Jaishankar emphasized that solutions will not emerge from the battlefield and that India stands ready to mediate. This visit follows a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan, where Modi called for an end to the endless war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Jaishankar and expressed gratitude for India's peace push, describing the war as unjust. The discussions between the two nations covered the threat to civilian shipping in the Black Sea, which has resulted in casualties among Indian seafarers and disrupted food and fuel supplies for the Global South. Jaishankar also noted that India has provided 19 consignments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

While the visit focused on diplomacy, the Kyiv Independent reported that Jaishankar defended India's continued purchase of Russian oil. He argued that halting these purchases would not resolve the conflict and requested that Ukraine respect India's position on energy security for its 1.4 billion people. This comes amid pressure from Western partners and potential U.S. tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy.

On the bilateral front, Jaishankar and Sybiha discussed trade resilience in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and machinery, as well as future cooperation in AI and digital innovation. Jaishankar is also scheduled to hold consultations with Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski as part of his regional tour.