Ajit Doval, the national security adviser, stressed during a meeting on the Russia-Ukraine war in Saudi Arabia that "respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity by all states must be upheld without exception" and that efforts must be made to end the conflict and mitigate its effects.

The two-day meeting on the Ukraine conflict was hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and attended by top security officials of around 40 countries, including U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan and China's Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui.

“The meeting confronts a two-fold challenge — resolution of the situation and softening the consequences of the conflict. Efforts must be directed on both fronts simultaneously and much more groundwork is needed to ensure this,” he said.

Doval stated that while each peace proposal has some merit, none has been accepted by both sides. Currently, a number of peace offers have been put out. The main issue that needs to be dealt with in this discussion is if it is possible to find a solution that is acceptable to all pertinent stakeholders, he added.

The India NSA further emphasized that the Global South, in particular, was suffering the most as a result of the situation. New Delhi is providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic assistance to its neighbours in the Global South, he said.

Participants from nations such as India, Brazil, and China demonstrated their shared commitment to finding common ground and restoring peace in the area, but Russia was prominently missing from the meeting.

The NSA during the meeting said India has regularly engaged both Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict at the highest levels. He said the country supports the global order based on principles enshrined in UN Charter and international law.

NSA Doval emphasized the importance of simultaneously directing efforts on both fronts. He noted that more groundwork is needed to make progress on these critical tasks.

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