How India can contribute to the peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war

Source: The post is based on the article “How India can contribute to the peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war” published in the Indian Express on 8th November 2022. 

Syllabus: GS2 – Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Relevance: About India’s approach to the Ukraine crisis.

News: India’s External Affairs Minister went to Russia on a bilateral visit.

What was India’s approach to the Ukraine crisis so far?

The Western media and think tanks had been relentless in their criticism of the Indian approach to the Ukraine crisis as lacking moral and strategic clarity in the face of Russia’s unprovoked aggression.

Though India refused to endorse Russian aggression, Indian made some crucial diplomatic contributions such as, a) Underlined the importance of respecting the United Nations Charter, b) Emphasised the inviolability of territorial sovereignty, c) Warned against the use of nuclear weapons, d) Sought to draw attention to the economic impact of the war on the “Global South”, e) Helped to overcome issues over the grain shipment deal from Ukraine and f) Aided in reducing the growing risks of the war targeting the nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine.

What is the course of the Ukraine crisis so far?

1) The shifting politics of the war: Russia’s special military operation that was to produce a quick victory in Ukraine has turned into a terrible misadventure. Russia has suffered huge military losses on the ground in manpower and equipment. 2) Russia’s threat underline its weakness: Russia currently focuses on destroying the Ukrainian cities and the occasional threat to use nuclear weapons underline Russia’s weakness in the Ukraine war rather than its strength.

3) Backfire of sanctions on western countries: The western countries imposed massive sanctions on Russia after it launched a war against Ukraine to bring the Russian economy to its knees. But in reality, the sanctions have major effects on Western societies. For instance, Europe was right in the middle of the gravest conflict since the Second World War. So, there is growing political support in Europe for a quick resolution of the conflict, and 4) Liberalised stand of the US: The US is beginning to recalibrate its current approach to the Ukraine crisis. For instance, recently, the US called for greater flexibility in Ukraine’s approach to negotiations with Russia. The US said that Ukraine’s hardline might intensify the “Ukraine fatigue” in the West and fracture the anti-Western coalition against Russia.

What will be the course of the Ukraine crisis in the near future and what role can India play in it?

The history of warfare tells us that room for diplomacy opens up only when there is a deadlock on the battlefield. The onset of winter will increasingly limit the possibilities for military operations in Ukraine and would give a chance to both sides to pause, regroup and rethink their strategy and tactics.

In that, there are many modest and practical ways in which Indian diplomacy could contribute to the peace efforts.