Ahead of the US-brokered two-day peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi starting Tuesday, India on Monday reached out to the top political leadership in Kyiv and Moscow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.In a post on X after his phone call with Modi, Zelenskyy said they discussed “Russia’s blocking of grain exports via the Black Sea” and added that India was ready to “mediate in establishing food corridors”.This is the first time Zelenskyy has spoken out on the Indian proposal to broker a ceasefire in the Black Sea, which has witnessed attacks on Ukrainian grain exports.In a post on X, Modi said he “reiterated India’s firm commitment to contributing in every possible way towards a peaceful resolution”.“Glad to have had a productive telephone conversation with President Zelenskyy. We reviewed our wide-ranging bilateral cooperation and agreed to further strengthen India-Ukraine ties,” Modi said. “I thanked President Zelenskyy for sharing his perspectives on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspects and various efforts to restore peace,” he said.Zelenskyy said that he briefed Modi on the latest diplomatic developments. “It is important that India identify what steps it can take and what dialogue it can pursue with other leaders to help bring the war to an end. Food security could be one such area. We discussed Russia’s blocking of grain exports via the Black Sea. India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue,” Zelenskyy said in his post.“Russia must understand that the global economy and hundreds of millions of people around the world are suffering because of blocked sea routes. We agreed that our teams will stay in touch on these and other bilateral issues,” he said.Story continues below this ad“We are actively preparing on every item on the agenda for the meeting in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine has always taken a constructive approach, and Russia must show the same readiness to de-escalate,” Zelenskyy said. “The Prime Minister has said more than once, including directly to the Russian leader, that now is the time to end the war, not to continue it,” he said.Meanwhile, Jaishankar said in a post on X: “Spoke this evening with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Our conversation focused on the Ukraine conflict and ongoing diplomatic initiatives.”Last month, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had said that India has put forward a “comprehensive” and “broad” proposal to end the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin had said earlier that Modi “constantly raises the question about putting an end to the conflict” and has “very good ideas”.Jaishankar had also said earlier that India has got a “little more involved beyond advocacy” and was having conversations with both Russia and Ukraine, trying to be “helpful” on the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, grain and energy exports and on “non-attack possibilities”.Story continues below this adThe broad contours of the proposal revolve around easing the especially intense fighting since July around the critical Black Sea region, which would allow Ukraine’s agricultural products to reach the world; Russia halting attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure; and Ukraine refraining from attacking Russian positions along the line of contact.Of particular interest in the proposal is the larger Black Sea region — a key grain export hub for the world. The fighting there could put at least 400 million people in Africa, West Asia and Asia at risk of food shortages, malnutrition and hunger.Ukraine, in particular, is a major agricultural exporter. Russia has targeted Ukrainian port facilities and vessel operations around the Greater Odesa region on the Black Sea coast. Ukraine has three key deep-water ports there — Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi — which handle around 90% of its agricultural exports.Since mid-July, Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on grain vessels, maritime infrastructure and ports on the Sea of Azov and the vital Kerch Strait that connects it to the Black Sea.Story continues below this adRussia exports significant volumes of grain through the Azov-Black Sea region — approximately 42-44 million tonnes, or 77-81% of its total grain exports, is transported through this area.