Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he asked for India's help in implementing a "peace formula" during a telephone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 26.
Zelenskiy gave details of his phone call with Modi in a tweet in which he said he wished India a productive presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) major ecoomies and noted that he announced his peace formula to the leaders of the group last month.
“Now I count on India's participation in its implementation,” Zelenskiy said.
India assumed the rotating presidency of the G20 on December 1 and will hold the leadership role for one year.
Zelenskiy addressed the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, presenting Ukraine’s 10-point peace formula on how to end the war with Russia and asking the leaders to adopt it.
The Indian government said in a statement quoted by Reuters that Zelenskiy and Modi discussed opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
"The Prime Minister explained the main priorities of India's G20 Presidency, including giving a voice to the concerns of developing nations on issues like food and energy security."
Modi also "strongly reiterated" his call for an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine and conveyed India's support for any peace efforts. In a call earlier this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict.
Zelenskiy’s call with Modi comes at a time when India, which has not explicitly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is seeking to strengthen trade relations with Moscow.
While Western nations have adopted round after round of sanctions and other measures to limit Russia's funding of its war, India has become a leading buyer of Russian oil.
India’s foreign minister has said that India has had to look after its own interests and called Russia "a steady and time-tested partner."
