Ukrainian FM briefs EAM Jaishankar on ‘difficult’ Black Sea situation; discuss ways to restore navigation freedom

Kyiv/New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha briefed External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on the situation in the Black Sea during a phone conversation and discussed ways to restore the freedom of navigation in the area.

This comes as the Black Sea has escalated into a highly volatile economic and military choke point. Both Russia and Ukraine are launching intensive, daily attacks on each other’s commercial shipping, port infrastructure, and energy pipelines.

In a post on X, Sybiha said, “I had a phone call with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. I briefed him on the difficult situation in the Black Sea as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine and intensified attacks on our ports and maritime routes.”

He said that the attacks on the ships in the Black Sea not only affect Ukrainian food exports but also pose a direct threat to millions of families worldwide.

“I underscored that Russia’s attempts to disrupt Ukrainian food exports pose a direct threat to global food security, reaching far beyond our region and putting millions of families worldwide at risk,” Sybiha said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister mentioned that both sides discussed ways to “restore and secure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea”.

“We also spoke about the development of Ukraine–India bilateral cooperation and ways to advance our mutually beneficial agenda. We coordinated our upcoming contacts and agreed to remain in close touch,” Sybiha added.

EAM Jaishankar said that he appreciated the conversation with Sybiha and reaffirmed India’s stance on dialogue and diplomacy.

“Appreciate the conversation this evening with Ukraine FM Andrii Sybiha. Our discussion focused on the resumption of commerce in the Black Sea, ensuring the safety and security of all seafarers and commercial shipping. India remains a steadfast advocate of dialogue and diplomacy,” he added.

This also comes against the backdrop of a recent attack on commercial shipping in the Black Sea. On August 25, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed it launched missile and drone barrages hitting three cargo vessels and a tanker at the vital port of Pivdennyi, alongside another cargo ship at the port of Odesa.

Meanwhile, earlier on August 25, EAM Jaishankar held a wide-ranging conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, with the two leaders discussing bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues.

EAM Jaishankar shared details of his conversation with Lavrov in a post on X, highlighting the broad range of issues discussed during the engagement.

“A wide-ranging conversation this evening with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Discussed our bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues.”

The talks between the two foreign ministers come amid continued high-level engagement between India and Russia on a range of bilateral, regional and international matters.

–IANS

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