New Delhi: US-brokered negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume in Abu Dhabi today after a nine-month hiatus. A day ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors through the Black Sea, following a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 9.In a post on X after the conversation, Zelenskyy said the two leaders had discussed Russia’s blocking of grain exports through the Black Sea and the possibility of India playing a role in restoring food shipments. “India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue,” he said, describing food security as one area where New Delhi could contribute to efforts to end the war.“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.”He said the disruption of maritime routes was hurting the global economy and affecting hundreds of millions of people around the world.“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 added.Zelenskyy said he had briefed Modi on the latest diplomatic developments ahead of the Abu Dhabi meeting, adding that Ukraine was actively preparing for every item on the agenda. “Ukraine has always taken a constructive approach, and Russia must show the same readiness to de-escalate,” he said.He also referred to Modi’s ‘catchphrase’ for an end to the war, including to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “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,” Zelenskyy wrote.Modi’s account of the conversation did not specifically mention the Black Sea or India’s proposed role in establishing food corridors. “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. I thanked President Zelenskyy for sharing his perspectives on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspects and various efforts to restore peace. Reiterated India’s firm commitment to contributing in every possible way towards a peaceful resolution,” Modi wrote on X.Russia-India foreign ministers speakExternal Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later on Monday. “Spoke this evening with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Our conversation focused on the Ukraine conflict and ongoing diplomatic initiatives,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.The diplomatic exchanges came as Russia and Ukraine prepare to return to the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi today and Wednesday, following a nine-month pause in the US-led peace process. The trilateral negotiations will involve delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States, with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner representing Washington.Ukraine’s delegation is being led by its chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, while Russia’s team is headed by former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky. The Kremlin has said the discussions will be trilateral, with the United States mediating between Moscow and Kyiv, despite European governments indicating that their officials will be present in the UAE for separate consultations.The negotiations are expected to focus on security guarantees, post-war arrangements and humanitarian issues, but major differences remain over territory and NATO. Russia wants Ukraine to give up more territory and abandon its ambition of joining NATO, while Kyiv has rejected territorial concessions and wants guarantees that Moscow will not launch another invasion.Black Sea grain trade has been a recurring issue since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 disrupted one of the world’s principal agricultural export routes. Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat, maize and other agricultural commodities, and the disruption of its maritime exports has had consequences for food-importing countries, particularly in Africa and West AsiaAn UN- and Türkiye-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative allowed Ukraine to resume shipments from three ports in July 2022, facilitating the export of nearly 33 million tonnes of food commodities before Russia withdrew from the arrangement a year later.Ukraine subsequently established its own maritime export corridor, but attacks on port infrastructure and threats to commercial shipping have continued to affect the security of the route.However, the intensification of fighting this year has led both sides to step up attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, resulting in the deaths of Indian seafarers.At a November 3 media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal disclosed that five Indian nationals had been killed in attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, while two others were missing.Jaishankar had reportedly proposed an arrangement involving a pause on strikes on Black Sea shipping and energy infrastructure during his Septembr visit to Kyiv, which was apparently in line with proposal already being discussed by Ukraine and United States.A month later, the Indian foreign minister said at the Munich Leaders Meeting in New Delhi that India was holding discussions with Russia and Ukraine on specific arrangements involving Black Sea shipping, grain and energy exports and possible “non-attack” understandings.“We have conversations with both Russia and Ukraine in this regard. We are trying to be helpful, starting with the Black Sea safety of shipping issue, but going beyond that to cover some immediate concerns which both of them have on grain exports, on energy exports, on non-attack possibilities,” he said on October 3, adding, “Those are ongoing conversations right now”.