Top officials from some 40 countries, including India, the US and China, held talks in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Saturday that Kyiv and its allies hope will lead to agreement on key principles for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who also arrived in Jeddah to participate in the summit of national security advisers and other officials being hosted by Saudi Arabia, reiterated India’s position on the Ukraine conflict saying the country’s approach “has been and always will be to promote dialogue and diplomacy”. This is the only way forward for peace, Doval said.

Doval said India remains an active, willing partner to find a lasting, comprehensive solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Like China, India has kept close relations with Russia and refused to condemn it for the war.

“India has regularly engaged both Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict at the highest levels. India supports the global order based on principles enshrined in UN Charter and international law. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity by all states must be upheld without exception,” the NSA said.

Doval also said all peace efforts involving all stakeholders must be pursued to find a just and enduring solution. “It is in this spirit that India participated in the meeting in Jeddah,” he said.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal ahead of his departure for a historic State visit to the US in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said when it comes to the Ukraine conflict, “Some people say that we are neutral. But we are not neutral. We are on the side of peace.”

“The whole world and especially Global South is bearing the brunt of the situation. India is providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic assistance to its neighbours in Global South… 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,” Doval said.

The top diplomate asserted India will remain an active and willing partner to find a lasting and comprehensive solution. Nothing will give India more happiness and satisfaction than such an outcome, he said.

“Currently, several peace proposals have been put forward. Each has some positive points but none is acceptable to both sides. The key question that needs to be addressed in the meeting is whether a solution that is acceptable to all relevant stakeholders can be found,” he said.

Doval was welcomed at the Jeddah Airport by the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Khan and consul general Mohammed Shahid Alam.

The NSA meeting on Ukraine is being organised in the coastal city of Jeddah to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan for peace amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The ministry of external affairs on Friday confirmed India’s participation in the summit. “India will participate in this event and our participation is in consonance with our long-standing position that dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

“Yes, India has been invited to a meeting being hosted by Saudi Arabia on Ukraine in Jeddah,” Bagchi said while replying to a question at a press briefing of the MEA.

Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov as saying: “Russia will keep an eye on this meeting” but would need “to fully understand what goals are being set.”