India says it is holding talks with Russia and Ukraine on Black Sea shipping safety
In short
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, including for ships carrying grain and fuel. TASS reported the talks, and Kommersant quoted Jaishankar as saying attacks on ships are unacceptable. He said grain exports have largely stopped in the Black Sea region and that the two sides were discussing a mutual renunciation of attacks.
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India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said India is holding talks with Russia and Ukraine on ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea and on the passage of vessels carrying grain and fuel, according to Kommersant. TASS reported that the negotiations concern the safe passage of ships with grain and fuel. Jaishankar said attacks on ships were unacceptable, Kommersant reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Speaking at a conference in New Delhi, Jaishankar said the talks had moved on to the question of not obstructing cargo deliveries, and that concern had been expressed about grain exports, which he said had largely stopped in the Black Sea region. He added that the sides were also discussing each other's concerns about grain and energy exports and the possibility of agreements on a mutual renunciation of attacks, Kommersant reported, citing his remarks via TASS and Interfax. [ 2 ]
The talks refer back to a 2022 grain deal concluded by Russia and Ukraine with Turkey and the UN, which covered the safe export of Ukrainian grain from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny. Russia suspended its participation a year later, saying some conditions of the Black Sea Initiative had not been met, and Turkey and the UN called for the deal to be resumed. The earlier arrangement was a package: safe export of Ukrainian grain was tied to access for Russian agricultural products and fertilisers to the world market. Russia maintained that fulfilment of only part of the agreements did not make the deal effective and named the lifting of sanctions from Rosselkhozbank among its conditions for resuming it, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
A separate condition concerns security guarantees. Kommersant reported that in April 2025 a ban on strikes on ships in the Black Sea was described as a mandatory condition, but that monitoring such a moratorium was assessed as impossible as of September 2026. As early as July 2023, security risks led several companies not to renew insurance for cargo from Ukrainian ports, the newspaper said. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Black Sea grain exports have largely halted, and any arrangement on safe shipping could affect global grain and energy supply, the concerns Jaishankar cited. A previous deal collapsed after Russia suspended its participation, and Russia has tied a resumption to sanctions relief for its agricultural bank. The documents give no indication that an agreement is near.
Key facts
- India is holding talks with Russia and Ukraine on ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Jaishankar said attacks on ships were unacceptable, according to Kommersant. [ 2 ]
- He said the talks had moved on to preventing obstruction of cargo deliveries and that concern was expressed about grain exports, which have largely stopped in the Black Sea region. [ 2 ]
- He said the sides were also discussing each other's concerns over grain and energy exports and the possibility of agreements on a mutual renunciation of attacks. [ 2 ]
- A 2022 grain deal with Turkey and the UN provided for the safe export of Ukrainian grain from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny; Russia suspended its participation a year later, citing unmet conditions. [ 2 ]
- Russia has said that conditions for resuming the deal include lifting sanctions from Rosselkhozbank. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the talks will produce an agreement on a mutual renunciation of attacks on ships, and who would monitor such a moratorium. Kommersant reports the topic is under discussion and that control of such a moratorium was assessed as impossible as of September 2026; no agreement is reported.
- The exact scope of the negotiations, including what “fuel” and “energy exports” cover. TASS's headline refers to ships with grain and fuel, while the Kommersant article describes concerns over grain and energy exports without specifying terms; the details come from a single outlet.
- Whether Ukraine or the Indian government has confirmed the talks in its own statements. The documents are Russian outlets reporting Jaishankar's remarks; no Ukrainian or Indian official statement is quoted directly.