While Modi has called for peace, he has also refused to directly hold the Kremlin responsible for the war.
First visit of Indian leader to Ukraine in decades In turn, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Modi’s visit to Russia as a “disappointment.”
Tiptoeing between US, Russia, China Military, trade and diplomatic ties between Russia and India already run deep.
Also, New Delhi is wary that alienating Moscow could push Russia closer to China, which is India’s major rival in Asia.
The Ukraine visit will also serve as damage control in terms of the optics.
While it enjoys close ties with Russia, India does not want to alienate the West,” Julka said.
Before the full-scale war in Ukraine, India had about 19,000 students enrolled in Ukrainian universities.
Following the Russian invasion in February 2022, India, Ukraine and Poland worked together to evacuate most of them in a push dubbed “Operation Ganga.”
On August 23, the eve of Ukrainian Independence Day, and just over a month after Modi’s visit to Moscow, Kyiv is scheduled to receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His hosts in Ukraine are likely to feel conflicted about his visit. Even after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, India persisted in having strong ties with the Russian Federation, much to the annoyance of Kiev and its allies.
Modi has demanded peace, but he hasn’t held the Kremlin accountable for starting the conflict.
The deadly attack on a Ukrainian children’s hospital by Moscow in July, which occurred at the same time as Modi’s visit to Russia and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, served as further evidence of this.
In response, the prime minister of India made a well-reasoned statement.
“It is a very terrifying pain when innocent children are killed,” Modi stated at the time.
First Indian leader visit to Ukraine in many years.
Modi’s visit to Russia was deemed a “disappointment” by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine. ****.
Zelenskyy posted on the internet, “Seeing the leader of the largest democracy in the world hug the most violent criminal in the world in Moscow on such a day is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts.”.
It has been approximately thirty years since the start of the war, and Modi is scheduled to visit Ukraine for the first time as an Indian leader.
At a Monday media briefing, Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated to reporters that “India has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine and these partnerships stand on their own.”.
India is in favor of peace negotiations.
According to experts, this visit is an attempt by India to strike a balance while simultaneously providing New Delhi with an opportunity to press for peace talks.
However, Indian diplomacy must strike a challenging balance.
“Ukraine has maintained cordial ties with India and Russia is a longstanding, traditional ally. It is challenging to handle this, particularly in light of the West’s strong support for Ukraine, with which India enjoys cordial ties,” former Indian ambassador and distinguished fellow Rajiv Bhatia of the Gateway House think tank told DW.
He stated that “India wants to expand, consolidate and maintain its ties with Russia” and that New Delhi was unconcerned about the visit to Kiev endangering India’s ties with Moscow.
teetering on the edge of US, Russia, and China.
Russia and India already enjoy close diplomatic, commercial, and military relations.
Russia is the country from which India imports a sizable quantity of coal, fertilizer, vegetable oil, precious metals, and more than 40% of its oil and 60% of its armaments.
India benefits from Moscow’s desire for even closer ties, which is prompted by the West’s disdain of Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine. Beijing is India’s main Asian rival, so New Delhi is also concerned that upsetting Moscow would drive Russia closer to Beijing.
The United States and other Western nations are displeased with Modi’s Russia-friendly posture and his meeting with Putin, which further complicates the geopolitical equation.
India, however, could counterbalance China in its attempts to influence the Kremlin, so the West also doesn’t want India to lose this influence in Moscow.
How will Modi act in Kiev?
Assistant professor of international relations at Ashoka University Amit Julka told DW that India “will try to project itself as a peacemaker and engage in humanitarian assistance.”.
“There are traces of mistrust despite India’s proximity to the US. From an optics standpoint, the visit to Ukraine will also act as damage control. India does not wish to offend the West despite its strong ties to Russia, according to Julka.
India’s Foreign Ministry stated that while New Delhi would not present a peace plan in Kyiv, it was prepared to assist in the peace settlement’s negotiation.
What other matters are planned?
Along with Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, Modi and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will probably talk about a number of other topics.
According to former ambassador Bhatia, “defense and economic cooperation, as well as the role of India in the eventual rebuilding of post-war Ukraine will also be discussed.”.
He continued, “Modi is also likely to thank the Ukrainian government for helping with the evacuation of Indian students after the war broke out.”.
Approximately 19,000 Indians were studying in Ukrainian universities prior to the outbreak of the full-scale conflict in that country. In an effort known as “Operation Ganga,” Poland, India, and the Ukraine collaborated to evacuate the majority of them after the Russian invasion in February 2022. “.
Darko Janjevic served as editor.
