External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Ssibha on the sidelines of the EU meeting in Cyprus on Wednesday and discussed the Ukrainian conflict and bilateral cooperation.
Jaishankar is visiting Cyprus at the invitation of the European Union to attend the Jimnesh Forum, an informal meeting of foreign ministers of EU member states. He also held separate meetings with European Union Foreign and Security Policy Coordinator Kaja Kallas and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
There was no official readout of the meeting between Sibha and Jaishankar, who said in a social media post that they exchanged views on the Ukrainian conflict and discussed bilateral cooperation.
Sibha said on social media that he and Jaishankar discussed Russia’s “ongoing war against Ukraine and developments on the battlefield — in particular, the growing Ukraine initiative.”
He added: “I stressed that despite Russia’s attempts to intimidate our people through terrorism, including last week’s massive attack on Kiev, Ukraine remains determined and growing stronger. Our message is clear: we want to end this war and achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace.”
Al-Subaiha said they also discussed peace efforts and “the importance of stronger global engagement.” “As Europe strengthens its responsibility, we welcome India’s strong voice and input,” he added.
Jaishankar said on social media that he appreciated his Saudi counterpart’s “assessments and insights on the evolving situation in West Asia.”
He said that he discussed with Kalas cooperation between India and the European Union and the situation in West Asia, but did not provide details.
Before her arrival in Cyprus, Callas said that European Union foreign ministers would discuss “how to increase international pressure on Russia,” which has carried out large-scale air strikes on Ukrainian cities over the past few days.
