India disassociated itself from the Swiss summit on the Ukrainian-Russian war, saying that “the conflict requires honesty and pragmatism…”

India refrained from joining any statement issued at the Ukraine peace summit hosted by Switzerland, which emphasised engagement with all stakeholders for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Leaders from nearly 90 countries gathered in Switzerland on Sunday to reaffirm their commitment to the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine. The meeting was attended by Indian officials, with the Ministry of External Affairs later reaffirming the country’s support for a “lasting peaceful solution”. However, New Delhi refrained from linking to any statement or document issued by the summit.

“The Indian delegation participated in the opening and closing plenary sessions of the summit. India did not acknowledge any statement or document issued for India’s participation in this summit, as well as in previous NSA/DPO level meetings based on the Ukrainian peace formula, was in line with our consistent approach to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict through the MEA statement.

The ministry also emphasised the need for “sincere and pragmatic engagement” between Ukraine and Russia to resolve the biggest European conflict since World War II. He emphasised that India will “remain engaged with all stakeholders as well as both sides” to contribute to all efforts aimed at achieving an early and lasting peace.

A weekend summit in Switzerland concluded on Sunday, with dozens of countries lending their support to Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” and calling for dialogue between all parties to find a lasting solution to the conflict.

These developments come just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a “very fruitful meeting” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

India is keen to strengthen bilateral ties with Ukraine. With regard to the ongoing hostilities, he reiterated that India believes in a people-centric approach and believes that the path to peace is through dialogue and diplomacy.