BALANCING ACT

Modi's Ukraine visit has thrown open the question whether India has effected a subtle shift in its strategic posture by aligning more closely with the west

- SANJIB KR BARUAH

IN DIPLOMACY, timing is key. India’s moment could be here and now.

Back in Delhi from his trip to Ukraine on August 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had two important telephone conversations. On August 26, he spoke with US President Joe Biden, and the next day, it was Russian President Vladimir Putin who was on the other end of the phone. In both exchanges, the key topic would have been Ukraine.

India shares a ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ with Russia and a ‘Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership’ with the US. Modi was in Moscow in July for the 22nd India-Russia annual summit. While India-Russia ties have a long history, relationship with the US has been a chequered one, although it has been considerably warm in recent years, particularly after China’s dramatic rise as a global power. Just a day before Modi made his trip to Kyiv, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh landed in the US for a four-day visit.

In the joint statement after his Ukraine visit, Modi “reiterated India’s willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace”. So is India leveraging its ties with Russia and the west to position itself as a mediator?

D.B. Venkatesh Varma, former Indian ambassador to Russia, said India’s capability to broker peace in Ukraine was quite low because of the nature of the conflict. “It is not amenable to mediation at this point of time. Both sides believe they can win. So why will they compromise? Military exhaustion has to set in, and that has not yet happened.”

Experts, however, believe that Modi’s visit to Kyiv was keenly watched globally and that it enhanced India’s prestige. “One-to-one meetings with both Putin and Zelensky within a month and a half underline India's acceptability to both warring sides," said former diplomat R. Dayakar.