India asks Russia and Ukraine to protect Black Sea shipping
New Delhi asks Moscow and Kyiv to ensure safe commercial transit in the Black Sea amid attacks that endanger Indian seafarers.
14/10/2026 14 October 2026 New Delhi urges Moscow and Kyiv to ensure safe commercial shipping in the Black Sea amid attacks putting Indian sailors at risk.
India has asked Russia and Ukraine to ensure safe passage for merchant ships through the Black Sea, as attacks on merchant ships put Indian sailors at risk and threaten to disrupt vital food and energy supplies.
New Delhi says talks are ongoing with both sides.
"Targeting of merchant ships and seafarers in the region must end and free and unimpeded shipping and trade through international waterways must be restored as soon as possible," Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said last week.
With 311,936 maritime professionals, India accounts for more than 12% of the global maritime workforce, according to Industry Report 2026. And attacks on merchant ships in and around the Black Sea in recent months have highlighted the dangers civilian crews face.
The Turkish cargo ship MV Royad Mamedov, carrying grain from Ukraine, caught fire and sank following Monday's attack, killing two crew members. The three Indian nationals on board survived but sustained injuries and were taken to Romania for medical treatment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the attack.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow said separately that it had attacked two Ukrainian cargo ships in the Black Sea, but did not specifically identify the vessels.
The Liberian-flagged Aframax Rio oil tanker was also recently attacked by drones off the coast of Russia's Black Sea near Sochi, according to Russian officials. The ship was carrying 23 Indians, but all of them were rescued.
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Former Indian diplomat Anil Wadhwa said India's proposal to stop attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea included energy infrastructure, safe passage for grain and energy exports and an end to attacks on merchant ships.
"The provision of the ironclad guarantee is entirely dependent on a broader cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in the maritime arena," Vedhwa told DW.
India's close ties with Russia and expanding engagement with Ukraine gives New Delhi access to both sides, but does not guarantee that either will comply with a transit arrangement.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha called India's proposal for a possible ceasefire with Russia the "most extensive" of the four proposals received by Kiev.
Despite welcoming New Delhi's peace efforts, Russia has not publicly endorsed the safe and binding agreement proposed by India.
Rajan Kumar of the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University said that India could use its diplomatic leverage with Moscow to help the country.
"India can play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, especially on the issue of ensuring the security of merchant ships in the Black Sea," Kumar told DW.
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Working with other powers to reach a deal
He argued that India should also work with other influential countries from the Global South, particularly China, Brazil and South Africa.
"A coordinated approach with these countries can increase their collective diplomatic leverage and strengthen their capacity to persuade both sides to adopt mutually acceptable arrangements for maritime security," Kumar said.
India's initiative comes as US President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine over the weekend, although its scope and implementation mechanism remain unclear.
Harsh Pant, vice president of the New Delhi-based Observer think tank, said Trump's intervention could help India's efforts, but could lead to a more limited deal that would not address New Delhi's broader concerns.
"An energy ceasefire could be an initial confidence-building measure, while a Black Sea shipping arrangement would require additional commitments on attacks against merchant ships, ports, sea lanes and the security of commercial traffic," Pant told DW.
"India does not need to compete with Washington for the public credibility of brokering the inclusion of broader maritime provisions in any US agreement."
Wadhwa said the proposed energy ceasefire could also benefit Indian seafarers if it ensured safe passage of energy cargoes.
Although Ukraine claims the Russians have already violated the so-called ceasefire, both sides are under pressure to let energy shipments pass. "India will certainly benefit in such a scenario as far as its crews are concerned."
Black Sea shipping disruptions have other implications for India, such as delays in shipments of key commodities and higher shipping costs.
"Long-term disruption of the Black Sea will increase India's import costs mainly through higher Russian crude shipments and tighter supply of soft oil, with the strongest near-term transmission to domestic edible oil prices and food inflation," said Lekha Chakraborty, a professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.