India Offers to Mediate on Food Corridors as Ship Arrivals Fall to 21

Key Facts

Ukraine’s president’s office said Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 9, 2026. The statement said the leaders discussed what it described as Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea. It added that India was ready to mediate on establishing food corridors. The statement did not announce a mechanism for carrying out the mediation or a date for setting up the corridors. It also did not mention an agreement between the two countries to restore maritime trade routes.

Zelenskyy urged India to identify steps and dialogue it could pursue with other leaders to help end the war. He noted that Modi had called for an end to the war more than once, including in a direct conversation with the Russian leader. Modi’s office, as quoted by Reuters, said the prime minister had told Zelenskyy that India was ready to contribute to all efforts aimed at a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The office provided no further details about the proposed mediation. The two leaders agreed to keep their teams in contact on these matters and other bilateral issues.

The Indian initiative comes as Ukrainian trade through the Black Sea has declined amid attacks on ports, ships and logistics infrastructure, according to the Associated Press. Black Sea ports recorded 21 ship arrivals in August 2026, down nearly 90% from the same month a year earlier. Agriculture accounts for up to 60% of Ukraine’s foreign-currency revenues, the agency said. These figures provide economic context for the disruption to agricultural shipping, though the Ukrainian statement did not specify the effect of Indian mediation on export traffic. Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed on October 31 to work to restore a grain corridor and ensure maritime security in the Black Sea.

Attention is also turning to an expected meeting in Abu Dhabi, where Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing for every item on its agenda. The Ukrainian statement did not specify the meeting date. Reuters said trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States were expected to hold their first meetings in months on Tuesday and Wednesday of the week that began on November 9. The agency added that the expectations came as Russia was targeting Ukrainian energy and logistics facilities with winter approaching. Contact between the Indian and Ukrainian teams remained open, with no further details announced about next steps on the food corridors.