Anil Wadhwa

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth week without a clear end in sight, a slew of foreign leaders, Ministers, and officials have made a beeline for New Delhi over the past fortnight. Despite being part of the Quad and in a strategic partnership with the US, India’s neutrality on the Ukraine imbroglio, given its defense and geopolitical dependence on Russia, was a calculated and well-considered decision. At the United Nations, the IAEA, and the Human Rights Commission, India has abstained repeatedly on Resolutions on Ukraine. India has also not voted for Russia, or its resolution on the human rights situation in Ukraine, taking a clear and firm neutral position. India has stressed repeatedly that sovereignty, territorial integrity of States, and the UN Charter must be respected.

Subsequent developments have not only won understanding but also acclaim for India. The US had to concede that India was in a unique position. Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia, a Quad partner, and a US ally, announced new investments and also conveyed that the Quad nations understood the Indian stand on Ukraine. On 2 April, an India Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement has been signed. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, another Quad partner, also visited India. The approach over Russia and Ukraine diverged, but this did not come in the way of the two leaders inking strategic agreements and Japan committing to invest $42 billion over the next five years. The Greek and Omani foreign ministers were in New Delhi on 22-23 March and 23- 24 March respectively. US Under Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland was in Delhi and offered US help in diversifying defense dependencies from Russia.

Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov has just completed his visit, which coincided with that of US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Lavrov offered to strengthen the Rupee Ruble payments system and offered Russian oil and hi-tech items. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India to gauge the Indian stand on Ukraine but was firmly told that unless China withdrew its troops from the LAC it could not be business as usual in the relationship. EU Special envoy for the Indo-Pacific Gabriele Visentin visited New Delhi during the last week for discussions on a free and open Indo Pacific but his concentration was also on the Indian stand on Ukraine. Currently, Prime Minister Deuba from Nepal is on an important 3-day visit to India.

President Biden, despite calling India “shaky” on Ukraine, has not mentioned the CAATSA law to stop the sale of Russia’s missile defense system to India. India has forcefully argued that as long as Europe is buying Russian oil and gas, and that too in large quantities, it has a right to protect its economic interests by buying limited quantities of Russian oil at discounted prices. Undoubtedly, the Ukraine imbroglio has shown India’s rising diplomatic stature.

The clear-eyed vision of Prime Minister Modi was evident when he led from the front in overseeing the evacuation of 18,000 Indian students from Ukraine. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs pulled off one of the most difficult operations, by working with Ukraine, Russia, as well as the neighbors of Ukraine – Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Indian ministers were specially assigned to oversee the arrangements in the neighboring states of Ukraine. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has also played his part, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and conveyed in no uncertain terms that the pullback of troops from the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh was the key to the normalization of relations, otherwise it could not be business as usual. Along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval also met with visiting German Security and Foreign Policy Advisor Jens Plotner and emphasized India’s consistent approach to peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law and commitment to respect territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. 

On March 31, NSA Doval also met Geoffrey Van Leeuwen, the security and foreign policy advisor to Dutch prime Minister Mark Rutte. President Ram Nath Kovind will be in Turkmenistan and Netherlands from 1-7 April 2022 and will play his part in advancing Indian foreign policy interests. Amid these visits to India, Foreign Minister Jaishankar was in Sri Lanka and Maldives, inking strategic agreements and extending a helping hand to our neighbours in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Visits by NATO countries and allies of the U.S. have all been planned at short notice, and have placed discussions on India’s stand on Ukraine at a priority. The message from the US and the Western countries is clear: that India could do more at the UN, where New Delhi has consistently abstained from resolutions criticizing Moscow; it could help bolster the sanctions regime which has no UN legitimacy and refrains from contracting for more Russian oil (even as the Western countries continue to buy oil and gas from Russia) or sending civil or military supplies to Russia.

India has steadfastly resisted these attempts to steer it away from its neutral course on Russia, pointing out double standards at play, even as it has concerns over the wanton destruction in Ukraine, and the misery that the people of Ukraine are facing. It has made it a point to stress that diplomacy and dialogue are the way forward, and during the visit of Foreign Minister Lavrov, Prime Minister Modi offered to do whatever India could to bring an end to the conflict. It is in everyone’s interest to end this war as soon as possible. Geopolitics is driving the desire to arm Ukraine to fight the unequal Russian might which will only prolong the war. This agenda needs to be discouraged, and India must push forcefully for dialogue and a diplomatic solution to the crisis as the only way forward. Meanwhile, India has shown its ability to pursue its “strategic autonomy” on matters of principle, which points to the success and maturity of Indian foreign policy.

(Anil Wadhwa is a former Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and has served as the Indian Ambassador to Poland, Oman, Thailand, and Italy. Currently, he is a Distinguished Fellow with the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi).