German foreign minister seeks India's help to bring ally Russia into Ukraine peace talks

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NEW DELHI (AP) — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged India to press its close ally Russia to return to peace talks over the war in Ukraine, days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a regional summit in China.

Wadephul told a news conference Wednesday that despite enormous efforts by Europe and the United States, Russia hasn’t been willing to enter negotiations, a challenge New Delhi could possibly address.

“The only demand is that weapons fall silent,” the German minister said during his two-day visit to India, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown an intention to make peace.

“We Europeans are doing our best, working with our American and Ukrainian friends to ensure that this war ends soon and that Ukraine finds peace as a sovereign state,” Wadephul said.

Wadephul’s appeal reflected Europe’s growing hope for India to step up its diplomatic push for peace even as New Delhi balances its partnership with traditional defense partner Moscow.

India has resisted Western pressure to denounce Moscow outright following the February 2022 invasion that started the Russia-Ukraine war, though India has called for a cessation of hostilities.

When the West shunned Moscow from the export market to disrupt its war financing, India moved quickly to obtain discounted Russian crude oil in huge volumes that now account for a significant share of its total imports. India defended the oil purchase as necessary to shield its economy from global shock.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods in response, bringing the total tariffs to 50%, straining ties between the world’s two biggest democracies. The steep U.S. tariffs are estimated to hit $48.2 billion worth of Indian exports and hurt the South Asian nation's broader economic ambitions.

Exploring options to insulate its economy, India is promoting accelerated negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who held detailed talks with Wadephul on Wednesday, said India counted on Germany to speed up negotiations and conclude the free trade agreement by end of the year.