India not taking sides, yet on the side of peace

Russia and Ukraine, engaged in a fierce war, must talk it out, let know what kept them away from each other. Ending war is so critical for the world; for if it spirals, a nuclear conflict is not ruled out. Russia-Ukraine war has also upended global food and security supply chains, threatening prospects of famine in poor and war-torn countries of Africa. Thus, every country has a stake in ensuring security, prosperity and sustainable development in a multi-polar world.

Amidst this context, six weeks after making his first foreign visit to Russia as the PM in his third term, Modi visited Poland and Ukraine; while the former is extremely unfriendly with Russia, the latter is at war with it. Modi’s visit to Moscow and his bear-hug of President Vladimir Putin – amidst Russia’s horrific bombing of a school in Ukraine – have not gone down well with Ukraine. India played it cool, letting it be known that it can act the way it deems fit in its interests or for larger cause of the world.

With this visit, Modi proved that India doesn’t seek or need anyone’s approval or bother about their grudging India’s closeness with their rivals. The West shall shed its superciliousness and understand India’s historic and time-tested ties with Russia and its compulsions of energy security – India overtook China as the world’s biggest importer of Russian oil in July. Even China is all praise for India’s strategic positioning between the West and Russia and its propensity not to take sides.

Though the Central Europe (Poland) and Eastern Europe (Ukraine) visitsof Modi may appear as pacifying a disquieted West, India is actually furthering its interests in the sixth largest economy of Europe i.e., Poland by celebrating 70 years of friendship with it, and reaching out to a friend, Ukraine, which has been distressed by a war. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been urging India’s good offices to end the war.

During the tour, Modi and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk raised the ties to the strategic level, vowing to impart a four-year push to cooperation in several fields. Poland is also assuming the presidency of the European Union in January 2025. EU and India are world’s largest democracies.

In Ukraine, in his embrace of Zelenskyy in their hour of distress, Modi exhibited India’s gesture of solidarity with Ukraine. Unlike in Moscow, where he avoided visiting memorial for soldiers killed in the war, Modi honoured the memory of Ukrainian children perished in Russian invasion. He made it clear that India is always firmly on the side of peace. “India was never neutral in this war, we are on the side of peace,” he told them. He invited President Zelenskyy to visit India. Later, India called the talks “very detailed, open, and constructive.”

Though, Modi’s visit was primarily to boost economic and commercial ties with Poland and Ukraine, his historic visit will be judged more for optics than for bilateral pacts. India being close to Ukraine and Russia, many believe India can help bring them to the negotiation table. India’s voice also counts as that of a large part of the globe, read Global South. As for the peace efforts, India knows talking works. Hearing out the other side’s feelings would pave way for sorting out differences, and even end a war; and, hence, its stress on dialogue and diplomacy, and its offer to work with other nations to bring about a truce. It is hoped that after his meeting with Zelenskyy, Modi kept ties with Ukraine (read West) and Russia on an even keel.