'This is not an era of war, India advocates return of dialogue': S Jaishankar on Ukraine conflict in Moscow

Speaking at a joint press conference following the meeting, Jaishankar said: "It is natural that as Foreign Ministers, we exchanged views on the international situation from our particular perspectives and vantage points. Obviously, the Ukraine conflict was a dominant feature, although we will continue to have discussions on it."

Laying out the Indian position on this matter, Jaishankar said, "As Prime Minister Modi conveyed to President Putin in Samarkand in September, this is not an era of war."

He said the global economy is interdependent for a significant conflict anywhere, not to have major consequences elsewhere.

"We are seeing growing concerns on energy and food security from the conflict that are coming on top of severe stresses created by two years of Covid. The Global South, especially, is feeling this pain very acutely. India, therefore, strongly advocates a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

"We are clearly on the side of peace, respect for international law and support for the UN Charter. Insofar as specific initiatives pertaining to issues like food grains and fertilizer shipments are concerned, or any other problem for that matter, India will be as helpful as we can be," the Indian Foreign Minister said.

"Indeed, I would say that for any initiative that de-risks the global economy and stabilizes the global order at this stage; India will be supportive," he added.

The two leaders also addressed a number of regional issues.

"On Afghanistan, we discussed how to continue our support for the people of Afghanistan, even as we urge Taliban to fulfill its international commitments. We are both members of various formats where the Afghan related issues come up for review and we will continue to be in close touch," Jaishankar said.

Speaking on bilateral trade, the Indian minister said: "Some of these discussions are now yielding results, accelerated by the stresses that the global economy is currently experiencing, including as a result of the Ukraine conflict."

"Minister Lavrov and I have noted the significant growth in our bilateral trade this year and focused on how to make it more sustainable. We are naturally concerned at the trade imbalance, and I have raised with the Russian side how to address impediments that stand in the way of greater Indian exports," he added.

He said, "The world is moving towards greater multi-polarity through steady and continuous re-balancing. And that especially means a multipolar Asia. As prominent nations who have a positive history of working together, this will naturally influence the conversations between Russia and India."

Jaishankar is currently visiting Moscow with a huge delegation mostly comprising economic ministries indicating India and Russia will expand trade in a big way.

This aims to stabilise Russia economically and give India cheap commodities - fuel and fertiliser.