India on Sunday opted out of the Ukraine declaration adopted at the two-day Summit on Peace in Ukraine, averring that only options acceptable to both parties can bring about abiding peace.

India, along with other BRICS nations, decided not to join more than 70 other countries in supporting a resolution that characterises the ongoing conflict as a “war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”.

Presenting India’s position, Pavan Kapoor, the secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, said: “In our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace. In line with this approach, we have decided to avoid association with a joint communique or any other document emerging from this summit.”

Out of the original BRICS nations, Russia was not invited and China had stayed away. India, Brazil and South Africa decided not to sign up on the resolution and so did UAE, a new entrant, making it tantamount to a bloc decision.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the summit in Switzerland but India decided to keep the representation at the official level. PM Modi, however, was in Italy this weekend for the G7 outreach meeting.

According to Kapoor, India thought it important to join the gathering that seeks to explore the way forward for a negotiated settlement to a complex and pressing issue. “India shares the global concern over the situation in Ukraine and supports any collective desire to facilitate peaceful resolution of the conflict. India’s participation in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine as well as in the preceding NSA political director-level meetings based on Ukraine’s peace formula is in line with our clear and consistent approach that enduring peace can be achieved only through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.

Abiding peace, he said, requires all stakeholders, particularly the two parties to the conflict, to come together and engage in a “sincere and practical” discussion.

“Accordingly, we will continue to engage with all stakeholders as well as the two parties to the conflict to contribute to all earnest efforts to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine,” he said.