New Delhi has called on both Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea, warning that Indian seafarers are at direct risk from the ongoing conflict.
India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that commercial shipping and civilian crews must be protected, with discussions already under way with both sides.
“The targeting of commercial shipping and seafarers in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways must be restored at the earliest,” Jaiswal said.
India has significant stakes in the matter, accounting for more than 12% of the global seafaring workforce, with 311,936 maritime professionals according to a 2026 industry report.
The urgency of India’s push was underscored when the Turkish-owned cargo ship MV Royad Mammadov, carrying grain from Ukraine, caught fire and sank following an attack, killing two crew members.
Three Indian nationals aboard the MV Royad Mammadov survived but sustained injuries and were transported to Romania for medical treatment, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia for the strike.
Russia’s Defense Ministry separately confirmed it had struck two Ukrainian cargo vessels in the Black Sea, though it did not specifically identify the ships involved.
A Liberian-flagged oil tanker, the Aframax Rio, was also attacked by unmanned vessels near Sochi off Russia’s Black Sea coast, with all 23 Indian crew members aboard rescued safely.
Former Indian diplomat Anil Wadhwa said India’s proposal covers energy infrastructure, safe passage for grain and energy exports, and an end to strikes on merchant vessels in the maritime theater.
“Securing an ironclad guarantee depends entirely on a broader cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in the maritime theater,” Wadhwa told DW.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has described India’s ceasefire proposal as the “broadest” of the four offers Kyiv has received, though Russia has not publicly endorsed a binding safe-passage deal.
Rajan Kumar of the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University argued that India’s diplomatic ties with Moscow give New Delhi a constructive role in facilitating dialogue.
“India could play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, particularly on the issue of ensuring the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea,” Kumar told DW.
Kumar also urged India to coordinate with influential Global South nations including China, Brazil, and South Africa to strengthen collective diplomatic leverage over both parties.
“A coordinated approach with these countries could enhance their collective diplomatic leverage and strengthen their capacity to persuade both parties to adopt mutually acceptable arrangements for maritime security,” Kumar said.
India’s diplomatic push coincides with US President Donald Trump announcing an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, though its scope and implementation mechanism remain unclear.
Harsh Pant, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi, said Trump’s intervention could assist India’s efforts but might produce a narrower agreement than New Delhi requires.
“The energy ceasefire could be an initial confidence-building measure, whereas a Black Sea shipping arrangement requires additional commitments on attacks against merchant vessels, ports, maritime routes and the security of commercial traffic,” Pant told DW.
Pant added that “India need not compete with Washington for the public credit of mediation. It could instead press for the inclusion of broader maritime provisions in any US agreement.”
Wadhwa noted that even the limited energy truce could benefit Indian seafarers, saying there will be pressure on both sides to allow energy cargoes safe passage regardless of allegations of breaches.
Lekha Chakraborty, professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, warned that “a prolonged Black Sea disruption would elevate India’s import bill mainly via higher freight on Russian crude and constrained soft oil supplies, with the strongest near-term transmission to domestic edible oil prices and food inflation.”
