As the war progresses, India must retain its ability to decide and change its position on Ukraine.
As the war progresses, India must retain its ability to decide and change its position on Ukraine.
It is certainly no coincidence that a line-up of foreign leaders, ministers and officials are flocking to New Delhi this month, as Russian invasion of Ukraine Continuing for its fourth week, and without a clear end in sight. There Summit meeting with the Prime Ministers of Japan And Australia (virtual)and one soon with the prime minister of Israel, and Visit of US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, as well as European foreign ministers and delegations. What NATO and the US Quad allies have in common is planning their visits at short notice, and discussing India’s stand on Ukraine at the top of their talks. Even Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who had a full bilateral agenda to discuss with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his much-delayed annual summit, arrived in Delhi on a very short visit, and it Clarified that finding a common position on Ukraine and conveying that India should not “pardon” Russia’s actions was a “priority”. The message from the West is clear: that India must change its stance on three things: to do more at the United Nations, where New Delhi has consistently avoided resolutions criticizing Moscow; to join the sanctions regime; And to avoid contracting more Russian oil, or to avoid sending civilian or military supplies to the Putin regime until the war is over. A flurry of visits, comments from officials and press statements from diplomats indicate that tensions between Russia and the West have reached a point of no return, and New Delhi is being asked to make a very clear choice between them. Used to be.
While there are several reasons why New Delhi has rejected attempts to turn it off its course on Russia, linked to its strong partnership with Russia, there are some global interests that the Modi government should consider more closely. Needed. Citizens in Ukraine are on the rise, and while Russia has denied reports of targeted attacks on schools and theatres, New Delhi is required to acknowledge any Russian violations of human rights, particularly the Kremlin Hasn’t fully clarified his final game yet. Second, while India has expressed concerns over nuclear security, it should be prepared to make it an issue with Moscow if necessary. Another area is the threat of chemical and biological warfare, and while the Indian delegate spoke strongly about the importance of fully implementing the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention at the United Nations Security Council, the government needed to vote on the issue and Anyone should be ready to call. the party that violates them. As the war progressed, more such debates would arise, and New Delhi had to shift its position from “neutral” and “interceptist” to a more completely forfeited one, and justice to its position as a leading nation. Must maintain the ability to move and move. To exercise its “strategic autonomy” over matters of principle, when necessary.