During his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi “reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward,” as Russia ramped up attacks on Ukraine.
In contrast, the Kremlin’s press release noted that Putin “gave a principled assessment regarding Russia’s policy in Ukraine” at Modi’s request.
In the context of the conflict in Ukraine, PM Modi once again reiterated during his call with President Putin that dialogue and diplomacy were the only way forward.
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) December 16, 2022
This has been India's position ever since the conflict erupted.
n3
Their conversation came against the backdrop of reports that Modi is skipping the India-Russia Annual Summit with Putin to be held in Moscow this year due to Russia’s escalating threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
According to sources familiar with the matter, ties between the two countries remain strong, but India does not think it would be beneficial to tout their friendship with Russia owing to the current geopolitical climate. Though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the meeting won’t take place this year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko called it a “misunderstanding.”
Other people familiar with the matter said the meeting is not taking place due to “scheduling issues.” However, an unnamed Russian official revealed to Bloomberg that India had made its position clear during Modi’s meeting with Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in September, when the Indian leader said, “I know that today’s era is not of war,” in a reference to the Ukraine war.
Modi also noted that the world should pay greater attention to the principles of “democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue” to move toward the path of peace, perhaps indicating his dissatisfaction with Russia’s actions.
Media reports suggested that a decision to cancel a summit between the two leaders was taken after veiled threats by Putin to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war.
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 13, 2022
Last Friday marked the fifth call between the two leaders since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February. It was also a follow-up on the progress made since their meeting at the SCO summit in Samarkand in September. In this regard, the pair expressed “their satisfaction with the high level of bilateral cooperation that has been developing on the basis of the Russian-Indian privileged strategic partnership.”
According to the Indian press statement, the two leaders reviewed energy cooperation, trade and investment, defence, and security cooperation. In a similar vein, the Russian press release mentioned that Modi and Putin discussed “practical cooperation” in investment, energy, agriculture, transport, and logistics.
Following the phone call on Friday, United States (US) Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel said that Washington “welcomed” Modi’s comments and “would take the prime minister at his word.”
“Ultimately, though, other countries will make their own decisions on its engagements when it comes to Russia,” he remarked.
When asked if India could play an important role in ending the Ukraine war, Patel affirmed, “Any country that is interested in engaging in a peace or interested in ending this war would need to so in close coordination and partnership with our Ukrainian partners” without naming India.
This was 5th phone conversation between Modi & Putin this year since February, the 2 leaders met in-person on margins of SCO Summit in Samarkand in September, when Indian PM had told Putin that "today's era is not of war".
— Rezaul Hasan Laskar (@Rezhasan) December 16, 2022
Keeping this in mind, experts believe that Modi’s “underlining of dialogue and diplomacy for Russia in the context of the Ukraine crisis is a continuation of his careful balancing between Russian sensitivities and the Western pressure on Moscow.”
India has hinted at its displeasure with Russia’s actions and has emphasised on the need to respect the “territorial integrity and sovereignty” of all countries. However, it continues to refrain from making any direct references to its longtime ally, which it relies on for 60-70% of its military equipment.
Hours after Putin launched the military operation in Ukraine, Modi urged him to de-escalate, reaffirming his support for all sides to return to “the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue.” According to a press release by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi also asserted that the differences between Russia and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be resolved through “honest and sincere dialogue.”
During a telephonic conversation in March, Russian state-owned news outlet TASS reported that Putin stressed that “every necessary instruction has been issued, and the Russian service members are doing their utmost to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from the zone of hostilities and their return home.”
It came after the Kremlin alleged that Ukrainian forces had been taking Indian students “hostage,” using them as “human shields,” and preventing their evacuation to Russia. Following the death of an Indian student in Kharkiv, Moscow said that the blame for the danger Indian nationals find themselves in “lies entirely with the Kyiv authorities.”
Later that month, India appeared to take one further step towards denouncing Russia’s actions in Ukraine by joining 12 other countries in abstaining from a UNSC resolution introduced by Russia on the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn eastern European nation.
"We would take the prime minister at his word", says US state dept on PM Modi's 'not an era of war comments' to Russian Prez Putin; Adds,'Any country interested in engaging in a peace..would need to so in close coordination.. with our Ukrainian partners'. pic.twitter.com/qO3TvDgdKc
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) December 17, 2022
The next month, India “unequivocally” condemned the “deeply disturbing” reports of “civilian killings in Bucha” and called for an “independent investigation” into the allegations against Russian forces.
In July, Putin informed Modi about the “key aspects” of Russia’s war in Ukraine, reassuring the Indian leader that the aim is to incapacitate Kyiv’s military infrastructure and not to target civilians. He highlighted the “dangerous and provocative nature” of the Ukrainian ‘regime’ under President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as the support Kyiv is receiving from “Western patrons” to “escalate the crisis and disrupt efforts to resolve it politically and diplomatically.”
He stressed that Russia has “no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories,” and that the objective of the “special military operation” is merely the “denazification and demilitarisation” of the country.
Meanwhile, Modi stressed India’s “long-standing” support for “dialogue and diplomacy” during the discussion.
Modi also conducted a phone call with Zelensky in October, but the Ukrainian leader rejected his call for “dialogue and diplomacy” with Russia, saying that “Ukraine will not conduct any negotiations” with Putin in lieu of the “sham” referenda held in the four Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Nonetheless, India has managed to maintain a strong relationship with Russia and even increased its trade by buying discounted Russian oil despite the West warning New Delhi of “consequences.”
In fact, it was reported last month that Russia has overtaken Iraq and Saudi Arabia to become India’s top supplier of crude oil, as its traditional oil suppliers had diverted supplies to Europe.
India has faced repeated warnings of “significant consequences,” particularly from the US, over its decision to purchase Russian oil. US President Joe Biden, too, singled out India as the only Quad ally with a “shaky” response to the Ukraine crisis. In fact, Ukraine, too, has said each barrel India purchases has a “good portion of Ukrainian blood in it.” However, India has stood firm on its ability to take independent decisions as a sovereign nation.