Ukraine Security Chief Meets NSA Ajit Doval as India Reiterates Call for Dialogue

Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi on April 17, with the two sides reviewing bilateral ties and discussing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. India used the meeting to restate its established position that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

The engagement is notable because it keeps India-Ukraine strategic communication active at a senior level even as New Delhi continues to balance its ties with both Kyiv and Moscow. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Doval reiterated India’s “principled position” and its focus on a peaceful resolution, signalling continuity rather than any abrupt policy shift.

Umerov also met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the visit. Jaishankar said the two discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict, while Ukrainian accounts of the talks indicated that the conversation also touched on the frontline situation, negotiations, and prospects for a just and lasting peace.

Taken together, the meetings suggest that India is maintaining a calibrated diplomatic line: staying engaged with Ukraine at a high level, supporting peaceful settlement efforts, and avoiding overt alignment with any one side in the war. That broader reading is an inference from the official Indian position reiterated during the visit and the parallel outreach through both the NSA and the external affairs minister.

Reference:
https://x.com/MEAIndia
https://www.newsonair.gov.in/eam-jaishankar-meets-secretary-of-national-security-and-defence-council-of-ukraine-rustem-umerov/
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/4113800-umerov-indian-fm-discuss-frontline-situation-prospects-for-peace-negotiations.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ukraines-rustem-umerov-meets-nsa-doval-jaishankar-to-discuss-path-to-peace-101776442484868.html