India has kept a neutral stance on the war, declining to blame Russia for the invasion of its neighbour, seeking a diplomatic solution and increasing its purchases of Russia oil over the past year.
Russia has been India’s biggest supplier of military equipment for decades and it is the fourth-biggest market for Indian pharmaceutical products.
“The world is still very divided on the Ukraine war … Modi wants to create a momentum for peace,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s willingness to help calm tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
On nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, Jaishankar said Islamabad will have to find its own way out of its financial crisis.
“Our relationship today is not one where we can be directly relevant to that process,” he said about critical funds the ailing South Asian economy desperately needs.
