Zelensky says India is ready to mediate Black Sea food corridors after Modi call

Zelensky's account of the call

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that India is ready to take on a mediating role in setting up food corridors in the Black Sea. He described the exchange as a conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Zelensky said the Black Sea is affected by a blockade by Russia on grain exports.

Impact on shipping and the wider world

Zelensky wrote that the global economy and hundreds of millions of people around the world are feeling the consequences of the blocked shipping routes. He said Russia must understand that these effects reach far beyond Ukraine. According to his account, Modi had told the Russian leader directly, and on several occasions, that this is the time to end the war rather than continue it.

What India could do next

Zelensky said it is important for India to identify which initiatives it could take and which dialogue it could open with other leaders on the issue. He named food security as one area in which India could intervene. The Polish-language account of the exchange describes the same offer of mediation for grain corridors.

Peace talks raised in the call

In a separate statement, Zelensky said he had briefed Modi on the situation surrounding peace talks. The conversation took place by phone, according to one of the reports. The offer of mediation, as presented by Zelensky, is so far limited to food corridors and dialogue with other leaders, with no further details given in the sources.