Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday underscored the importance of India’s participation in the inaugural Peace Summit on Ukraine that is scheduled to be held in Switzerland this spring.

“It will be important for us to see India attend the inaugural Peace Summit, which is currently being prepared in Switzerland,” Zelensky said in a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter) on his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Zelensky spoke to Modi on the day when the Indian Prime Minister also called the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to congratulate him on his re-election.

There was no mention of the Peace Summit in the Indian readout on Modi’s conversation with Zelensky. Stating that the two discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship, the external affairs ministry said: “While discussing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, PM reiterated India’s people-centric approach and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward.

“He highlighted that India supports all efforts for an early and peaceful resolution of all issues between the Parties. He added that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution.’’

Zelensky, on the other hand, articulated the view in western capitals about the need for India to be involved in the Peace Formula — mooted by the Ukrainian President at the G20 summit in Indonesia in 2022 — given New Delhi’s relationship with Russia.

“I spoke with Prime Minister @NarendraModi to express gratitude for India’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, humanitarian aid, and active participation in Peace Formula meetings.” India’s deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri has attended at least two meetings under the Copenhagen format to push Zelensky’s proposal of a Peace Summit to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict that is into its third year now.

Zelensky also urged Indian students to return to Ukrainian educational institutions while dwelling on bilateral ties. A meeting of the inter-governmental commission on cooperation is likely to be held in Delhi later this month. “Ukraine is interested in strengthening our trade and economic ties with India, particularly in agricultural exports, aviation cooperation, and pharmaceutical and industrial product trade,” the President further said.

On the Modi-Putin conversation, the external affairs ministry said they discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest including Ukraine besides taking stock of the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia. They discussed the situation around Ukraine and agreed to coordinate more in multilateral formats including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Kremlin readout added.