Regional challenges, bilateral ties under scanner
-: R Muthu Kumar :-
Relations between New Delhi and Moscow have grown steadily in the recent years. India has persisted with its refusal to sacrifice its ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine. And also it has taken advantage of Western sanctions on Russia by purchasing oil in bulk at a very favourable cost.
Sanctions on Russia, on the other hand, can have some significance for India, since the bilateral trade is worth $11 billion – which is primarily in the defence, space and nuclear energy equipment sectors. India and Russia also have investments worth $8 billion in each other.
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar pointed out, the West’s ability to pay higher prices for its energy was a luxury that India just doesn’t have. India is the third-largest energy consumer in the world, and most of this energy is imported.I have a country that has a per capita income of two thousand dollars,” Jaishankar said, “these are not people who can afford higher energy prices.”
It has stayed neutral in the war in Ukraine, choosing neither to condemn Russia nor blame it for the war. It has abstained on every UN resolution related to Ukraine since March 2022—including those demanding a Russian withdrawal or condemning the war and annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Moscow continues to be India’s largest arms supplier, even if India is gradually diversifying its sources of weapons. From 2017 to 2022, India bought more Russian weapons than any other country.
India relies on Russia for essential components of several advanced weapons systems including its fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, submarines, and land warfare platforms. It is also now procuring Russian S-400 air defense systems, stealth frigates, and nuclear submarines, which will ensure dependence on Russian technology and maintenance in the years to come.
India’s interest in preserving ties with Russia does not mean it is indifferent to the violence in Ukraine. At the G7 Summit in May 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that India would do “everything it can” to help bring peace to Ukraine.
Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow from December 25-29, 2023 reaffirmed that Indian-Russian ties remain healthy despite the current geopolitical turbulence in the world. Jaishankar was received by President Vladimir Putin, who expressed satisfaction at the state of relations and invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia. He said that he has kept Modi informed about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has studied proposals made by India.
Whatever role India may end up playing in a peace effort between Russia and Ukraine, it is almost certainly not going to join the Western anti-Russia coalition.
Global tensions are currently running high and the mechanisms to resolve them have been ineffective. The ongoing Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war have exposed the international community’s inability to resolve conflicts and lessen tensions.
Now it is time for India to become a messiah for global peace. New Delhi’s neutrality thus has made it a viable option for mediation between Russia, Ukraine, and the West.Exercising its strategic autonomy, India, to the West’s disappointment, refrained from openly criticizing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, according to Arvind Gupta, the director of New Delhi-based think tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), ahead of the first Valdai Club Russian-Indian Conference, which will be held in New Delhi later today.
The bilateral conference, titled ‘India and Russia: Views on Alternative World Orders, Regional Problems and Bilateral Ties’ and organised by Russia’s leading think tank, the Valdai Discussion Club, in partnership with the VIF, will discuss trends in the transformation of the world order and key developments on the bilateral front.
Hosting the conference in India represents a significant milestone in the Valdai Club’s efforts to engage with India. This development was set in motion with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Valdai Club and the Vivekananda Foundation on October 1, 2023, during the 20th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club. It aims to foster open discussions, provide an opportunity to meet with representatives from the National Security Advisory Council, and feature an opening session along with two thematic sessions.
Experts will engage in meaningful discourse on the following key topics: Trends in the transformation of the world order (multipolarity, regional and international security, sanctions); bilateral relations between Russia and India. The Vivekananda International Foundation is a New Delhi-based think tank formed by leading Indian security experts, diplomats and philanthropists. Its goal is to develop innovative approaches to India’s security and well-being, enabling it to play a significance role in global affairs.
India and Russia together have aligned interest of creating multipolar world order each being one pole instead of bipolar world with the decline of the American grip over global matters.
