India news: Jaishankar offers help to end war in Ukraine
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Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar says India is prepared to assist efforts to end the war in Ukraine, as the foreign minister visits Kyiv. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5KhYJ Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Ukrainian counterpart Andriiy Sybiha in Kyiv Image: Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Here is a roundup of the latest developments from India on Thursday, September 3.
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09/03/2026 September 3, 2026 India wants tariff edge before signing US trade deal, says commerce minister India will announce the final details of its proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US only after Washington agrees to offer preferential tariff terms over India's competitors, Indian commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.
"As soon as the US is able to give us the preferential rate in comparison to our competition, we will finalize the BTA and announce the final details," Indian news agencies quoted Goyal as saying.
US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first announced negotiations for the US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in February 2025.
But strained ties and global conflicts have delayed negotiations, with the talks only restoring momentum this year.
In February, Washington and New Delhi released the framework for an interim trade agreement.
Under the deal, India will "eliminate or reduce tariffs" on all US industrial products and a wide range of US food and agricultural goods.
The US agreed to reduce Trump's tariffs from 25% to 18% and rescind the punitive extra 25% tariff imposed on India for its purchase of Russian oil.
But negotiations on the final deal were deferred after the US Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs.
In June, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer visited New Delhi, where he met Goyal and reviewed core elements of the BTA.
Goyal is now set to travel to the US later this month for the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee and engage in bilateral talks with Greer.
09/03/2026 September 3, 2026 India ready to help end Ukraine war, Jaishankar says during Kyiv visit India is ready to help end the war in Ukraine, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said as he arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday.
"If India can be of any help, in any manner, we are there," Jaishankar said as he addressed the media alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Sybiha welcomed Jaishankar for what he described as the "first-ever dedicated bilateral visit" of an Indian foreign minister to Ukraine.
"India is a global power and we welcome Prime Minister Modi's call to move from an endless war towards an end to the war. Ukraine stands ready for diplomacy," Sybiha wrote on X, referring to comments the Indian leader made during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan earlier in the week.
Jaishankar's trip to Ukraine comes more than a week after he attended the 27th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
The Indian foreign minister also met Putin during the Russia visit.
Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, New Delhi has been under pressure from Kyiv's Western partners over its cooperation with Moscow, India's decades-long ally.
"This historic moment takes place amid escalating Russian attacks against our cities, port infrastructure, and civil shipping. Our capital is constantly under attack and I appreciate my colleague's brave visit," Sybiha said as he talked about Jaishankar's Kyiv visit.
The Ukrainian minister added that he and Jaishankar discussed the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, global food security, and bilateral cooperation.
"From infrastructure and pharmaceutical sector to technological innovation and digitalisation, we are ready to realise our full potential," Sybiha said.
09/03/2026 September 3, 2026 Air Force veteran to be Ram Temple's first CEO A trust that runs India's grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya has roped in an Indian Air Force veteran to be the Hindu shrine's first chief executive officer (CEO) in a leadership shake-up following a donation embezzlement row , Indian media reported.
Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, who retired from the Air Force in April 2026, was appointed CEO of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday.
According to news agency ANI, more than 5,000 applicants were vying for the post.
The temple in Uttar Pradesh was inaugurated in 2024 by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fulfilling a key Hindu nationalist pledge.
The temple site has been a controversial flashpoint because it was built on grounds where the 16th-century Babri Masjid, or Mosque of Babur, once stood. The mosque was demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992, triggering bloody riots that left nearly 2,000 people dead.
Mishra's appointment comes after the Ram Temple became embroiled in controversy in recent months following allegations of theft involving donations and offerings worth millions of rupees.
Mishra served as chief of the Indian Air Force's Western Command during the 2025 Indian military strikes, dubbed Operation Sindoor, which New Delhi said targeted "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
"I also consider this the blessings of Lord Ram that after 43 years of service to the nation in the Air Force, He has given me the opportunity to serve Shri Ram Mandir (temple) and Shri Ram bhakt (devotees)," Mishra told news agency ANI.
The appointment has also drawn political criticism, particularly in the wake of the donation-related allegations…
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