India well-placed to lead consortia on Ukraine

To build up on its finely balanced diplomatic run on the Ukraine issue in the global forum, India would do well to make a group of like-minded countries with autonomous positions to mediate and be security guarantors between the former Soviet neighbours, writes ETV Bharat's Sanjib Kr Baruah.

NEW DELHI:With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday batting for an Indian role in a possible resolution of issues with Russia, India’s global standing has further climbed a notch up. In an interview to an Indian TV news channel, Zelenskiy said referring to his offer of direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin: “India is a very powerful state in the world, I invite also to be a security guarantor if they’d be willing.”

On April 1, Sergey Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, has expressed his support for an Indian mediation: “India is an important and serious country. If India plays that role that provides resolution, India as our common partner… we are for security guarantee of Ukraine… West has ignored its responsibility… India can support such process.”

Seen in consonance with the keenness by both Russia and Ukraine for an Indian role in the crisis and with global leaders making a beeline to New Delhi in recent days, India is possibly in a very good position to lead a new effort aimed at resolution. With mediating efforts by Turkey, Israel, and France decidedly coming to an end without substantial progress, India could get together a consortium of countries on a platform that have taken autonomous positions neutral positions—like Italy, Hungary, Argentina, Venezuela, UAE and even Saudi Arabia, which can also become guarantors of security.

Besides Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, other major leaders who have visited New Delhi in the past few days include Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister and state counselor, Daleep Singh, the US deputy national security adviser, Liz Truss, British foreign secretary, and Jens Plötner, the German foreign and security policy advisor.

ETV Bharat had written on February 24 itself—the day Russian military action began in Ukraine at the crack of dawn—that India has a grand opportunity to enhance its global prestige on the high table in the comity of nations. Thus far, India has given a fine account of itself in the conduct of its diplomacy and has steadfastly refused to bow down to the US-led western line in adherence to its stated policy of strategic autonomy winning accolades even from bitter rival Pakistan for its independently-charted path.

After having abstained from voting for the tenth time on Thursday in ten votes on the Ukraine conflict ever since it began, India was in a group of 58 abstentions, with 93 countries voting in favour and 24 against in the UN General Assembly to pave the way to throw out Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.

What should also encourage India is the existence of warm relations with both Russia and Ukraine. While India and Russia have been militarily close for the last eight decades with about 60 percent of Indian weapons, platforms and systems already of Russian origin, India also imports energy items, agricultural fertilizers, diamonds, etc from that country.

On the other hand, Ukraine, besides being a major supplier of edible oil to India, has also been a dedicated supplier for spares and parts of many Indian military equipment and platforms—a legacy of the Soviet era relationship with India.