After four commercial ships with Indian seafarers were attacked in the Black Sea in less than 36 hours, India on Wednesday once again called for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions and enable the early return of peace to the region.“The targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways must be restored at the earliest,” the Ministry of External (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Wednesday.“We have seen a string of attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Black Sea region. We condemn such attacks that threaten commercial shipping and endanger the lives of our seafaring community,” he said.Listing out the four incidents, he said that the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov came under attack while it was plying in the Black Sea. “There were three Indian nationals onboard. One of them was injured and has since received medical treatment,” he said, adding that the Indian embassy in Romania is in touch with them for their safety and welfare. “We thank the Romanian authorities for their support and swift action,” he said.“A Togo-flagged ship, Alfa Watan, was attacked yesterday and the fate of its crew is unknown,” he said.“Another vessel, Palau-flagged MV ABLE, came under a drone attack, but fortunately all its 18 crew, including 7 Indian nationals, have been rescued. One Indian national suffered injuries and is under medical supervision,” the MEA spokesperson said, and thanked the Bulgarian authorities for their timely help. “Our Mission in Bulgaria is offering all possible assistance to our seafarers,” he said.“The fourth ship which came under attack is the Liberia-flagged Aframax Rio, an oil tanker. All the crew, consisting of 23 Indian seafarers, have been rescued,” he said.Story continues below this adThe Liberia-flagged vessel carrying oil, with a crew of 23 Indian nationals, came under attack by drone boats off Russia’s Black Sea coast, Russian authorities said.“The crew has been saved and evacuated to shore,” a spokesman for the Russian transport ministry told state-run TASS news agency.The Aframax Rio tanker came under attack on Tuesday by unmanned surface vessels (USVs), and open fire is raging in the Black Sea waters, the Russian transport ministry said.The ministry said the vessel’s all Indian crew of 23 was saved and none was hurt. The incident took place near Sochi, Russia’s popular resort city on the Black Sea coast.Story continues below this adWhen asked about the Indian proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the MEA spokesperson said, “On the issue of the Ukraine conflict, India has consistently maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward.On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has moved beyond advocacy and stepped up its efforts in recent months to resolve the Ukraine conflict by engaging in conversations with both Kyiv and Moscow.In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that India has declared its readiness to make a feasible contribution to resolving the Ukraine conflict and Russia is grateful to New Delhi for such willingness.“Indeed, India is declaring readiness to make a feasible contribution to resolving the situation surrounding Ukraine,” Peskov was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.Story continues below this adHis statement came days after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described India’s proposal for a possible ceasefire with Russia as the “broadest” among four offers received by Kyiv. The other proposals had come from Turkiye, Egypt and the US.“We have four proposals. The broadest one is India’s proposal. We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in this combination,” Sybiha had told reporters in Kyiv last week.