Hours before Putin-Trump talks, Zelenskyy hopes for Indian help in ending Russia-Ukraine war

Offering his congratulations on Independence Day, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a pitch on Friday (August 15, 2025) for India to play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In a message posted three hours before the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska, Mr. Zelenskyy referred to his call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 11, and said India and Ukraine “share the experience of standing up for freedom and dignity, as well as the pursuit of peace and development”.

“We hope that India will contribute to efforts aimed at ending the war, so that our freedom and sovereignty are truly secure,” Mr. Zelenskyy added, indicating an outreach to New Delhi, at a time Ukraine is worried about the outcome of the Trump-Putin talks.

While Ukraine and the European Union have called for peace, but without ceding any territory to Russia, Mr. Trump has said that he expects some “land swaps” on the agenda for any ceasefire agreement with Mr. Putin.

Also read: Trump-Putin Alaska Summit updates

Meanwhile, New Delhi has hoped cautiously for some sort of Trump-Putin agreement leading to Ukraine-Russia talks on a ceasefire so the 25% penalty tariffs placed by the U.S. on Indian goods can be rolled back before they go into place on August 27.

No mention of Russian oil

Unlike previous occasions, Mr. Zelenskyy did not mention the issue of India’s purchase of Russian oil, which has been a sore point between the two countries. After their telephone conversation on August 11, Mr. Zelenskyy had said that he told Mr. Modi it was “necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly oil” which helps finance the war.

Meanwhile, India, which has increased its intake of Russian energy nearly 19 times more between 2021 and 2024 has thus far rejected calls to reduce the imports, even after the U.S. penalty announcement. Mr. Zelenskyy has also said he hopes to meet Mr. Modi on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly next month.