India's stand on Ukraine

There has been considerable hand-wringing in some circles about India’s underwhelming and insufficient response at the UN Security Council to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A prominent member of the American think tank community, Richard Haass, rued that India’s ‘careful, avoid angering Putin at all costs’ response exposed its unpreparedness to step up to major power responsibilities or be a dependable partner. In a veiled warning, he called the response ‘disappointing as well as short-sighted, given (the) rise of China’. Much is being made about how China and India were among the small minority of three nations that sat out a UNSC vote on a resolution criticising Russia. But the fine print of India’s explanation for not voting and PM Modi’s conversation with Vladimir Putin show that India did convey the need for Moscow to step back.

Both at the UNSC and during the Modi-Putin phone call, New Delhi underlined the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations and immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. At the same time, India’s abstention showed its unwillingness to jump on the US bandwagon for a ‘strong collective response’ to the Russian invasion after witnessing the aftermath of previous such responses in Libya, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. It is also aware that the current geopolitical muddle is largely because Russia and the West view each other through a lens that is deeply coloured by decades of mutual toxicity.

As was the case with the US-led exertions to unseat truculent strongmen elsewhere, India will again bear the brunt of hardening of geostrategic circumstances. India’s abstention has given it the option of reaching out to both sides to find a middle ground as well as ensure the safety of its citizens in Ukraine. India also has several irons in the Russian fire, some well-known such as defence and energy. The Russia-Ukraine clash is making India walk a fine balance between a values-based foreign policy and stark geopolitical compulsions. Its stand at the UNSC may have well and truly reflected that.