Time for India to redefine its relationship with Russia 

News: Russia’s war in Ukraine has decisively shaped international opinion. Indian Diplomacy is facing the question of how to navigate India’s great power relations in the future.  

What has been the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis? 

Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has changed the global order. The Western world has imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia and banned energy imports.  

These sanctions can have an impact on global finance, energy supplies, and transportation, amid growing signs that they will constrain India’s ability to import Russian oil. 

What has been India’s foreign policy so far on such global matters?

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru advocated for India’s neutrality in the bloc politics. It was the basis for India’s pursuit of an independent post-colonial foreign policy.  

Since the end of the Cold War, India has been advocating the policy of strategic autonomy.

– It is a re-branded form of India’s non-aligned posture during the Cold War. It refers to the doctrine of ‘multi-alignment’ which is a reality of the 21st century.  

Therefore, India expanded its engagement with all the major powers.

– For example, following the Soviet collapse, India joined Russia and China to promote a multi-polar world (against the unipolarity of the U.S.). Later, Brazil and South Africa were also brought into this coalition.  

What has been India’s stand on the present crisis?

India has not directly criticised Moscow’s actions. It has abstained from voting at the UNSC.

Kremlin has praised India for taking an “independent and balanced” position. 

Why is India facing a foreign policy conundrum? 

The following factors are causing India a strategic headache and have come to restrain India’s strategic autonomy:

– At present, India is heavily dependent on Russia for its arms imports.

– Also, it has supported India during the Cold War era, like voting against pro-Pakistani diplomatic activism by powerful Western countries in the UNSC.

– China is blatantly expanding its sphere of influence in the military, economic and political domains through the Belt and Road Initiative in the Indo-Pacific Region (IPR). Moscow has drifted much closer to Beijing. The present may push Russia further into China’s military and economic orbit. 

– The U.S. is most likely to bolster India’s future as a great power. It also counters China, which is asserting itself in India’s backyard. But Moscow is also sharply critical of India’s engagement with the U.S. and the Quad.

– The US cannot ignore Russia’s aggression along NATO’s periphery. Therefore, The US may find it difficult to digest India’s stand on Russian Invasion. 

Way Forward

The Russia- Ukraine Conflict implies that Russia is unpredictable now. For example, it is acting as a nuclear-armed bully. It is swinging wildly from one crisis to another. Therefore, it is too risky for India to pursue vague aims vis-à-vis Russia in these uncertain times.  

Russia should rethink its concern against the eastward expansion of NATO. It is because a NATO-Russia Council was formed specifically to alleviate Russia’s concerns.  

The Ukrainian tragedy has introduced a new era in international relations. Therefore, amid such a crisis, New Delhi needs to be ready to radically redefine its relationship with Moscow. 

Source: The post is based on an article “Time for India to redefine its relationship with Russia” published in The Hindu on 25 Mar 2022.