Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia soon after his meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sent wrong signals about the sequential timing but the key outcome remains the same, strengthening the long-standing relationship between New Delhi and Moscow.
Reactng to the visit, US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "We encourage India, along with other nations interacting with Russia, to ensure that any resolution to the Ukraine conflict adheres to the UN Charter and honors Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty."
Depicting it as a significant move, yet seeking a solution within the ambit of the UN Charter on sovereignty makes the war far from any viable resolution and no pre-conditional truce lasts longer as history repeatedly showed us in the last century.
India has made it clear from the start of the war that the European nations should be pro-active seeking an end to the conflict and stop the blame-game aimed at India's policy. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on March 8, 2024 schooled the world reminding them why the UN Charter's principles failed ever since they were framed.
"We experienced aggression. We experienced an effort to change our boundaries and even today, parts of India are occupied by another country. But we did not see the world respond saying that there's a 'great principle' involved and therefore let us all go with India. Yes, today we are being told that there are principles involved. I wish I had seen that principle in play for the last 80 years. I have seen those principles cherry-picked when suits people and not when it does not suit people," he said summing up all the lessons he had learnt as a career diplomat.
Jaishankar's message is very clear. Once failed, the principle of sovereignty as per the UN Charter is bound fail repeatedly, irrespective of who the perpetrator is and where the aggression takes place. Win or defeat eventually slips into the hands of the mighty power, making redundant the lofty UN principles.
Otherwise, strengthening relationship with Russia remains the key as ever for India.
That leaves the NATO bloc with the urgency to find a solution keeping aside the rhetoric. It should weigh the economic impact and the inflationary pressure being exerted on the world by the Ukraine war. Neither the sanctions nor escalation of war brought Putin to the negotiating table. So, the choice should be left to other global players to explore that too with a free hand.
