India trying to bring Russia, Ukraine & Europe to the table on 3 fronts: Jaishankar

India’s External affairs minister S Jaishankar has discussed the protection of civilian shipping with Russia, Ukraine, and European nations

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India has held discussions with Russia, Ukraine and European countries on protecting civilian shipping, restoring grain exports through the Black Sea and preventing attacks on energy infrastructure amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.According to news agency ANI, Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Jaishankar said India was engaging with the parties on three key aspects of the conflict, including the safety of civilian vessels and seafarers, the restoration of grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine, and preventing attacks on energy infrastructure. He said India was trying to bring the concerned parties together to address these issues.“One, not to attack civilian shipping and seafarers,” he said, outlining the first of the three areas discussed with Russia, Ukraine and Europe.On the second issue, Jaishankar stressed the need to restore grain shipments from both Russia and Ukraine, warning that exports through the Black Sea had declined sharply amid the conflict.“The second, to find a way by which the grain exports from both Russia and Ukraine, these are two major exporters of grain for the global markets, can be restored, because that flow has cut down very sharply in the Black Sea,” he said.Jaishankar further highlighted the complexities involved in ensuring the safety of energy infrastructure, saying different parties had different interpretations of what should be covered under such an understanding.“And the third is with regard to energy. Non-attack on energy is probably the most complicated piece because it means different things to the different players. There is energy infrastructure itself. To some, it would mean a refinery; to some, it would mean grids. There would be issues relating to ships carrying fuel,” he said.He added that India is attempting to bring the concerned parties together to find common ground on these issues, particularly on the protection of energy infrastructure and fuel shipments.

The concerns raised by Jaishankar extend beyond the immediate conflict, given the Black Sea’s importance to global trade. Any disruption to commercial shipping can affect the movement of essential commodities, raise freight and insurance costs and put pressure on international supply chains.Similarly, attacks on refineries, electricity grids and fuel-carrying vessels can disrupt energy supplies and push up global prices. Together, the safety of maritime routes, grain exports and energy infrastructure remains critical to maintaining stability in global food and energy markets.