New Delhi, Feb 28 India has done well to espouse a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict giving due importance to its friendship with both the US and Russia.
Russia's open military intervention in Ukraine at the end of many days of bitter exchange of threats and counter threats, did not come as a surprise since Putin had made it clear that he would not tolerate a regime next door that was keen on joining NATO.
The international opinion should have worked for Ukraine- Russia friendship that protected the sovereignty of Ukraine and at the same time addressed security concerns of Russia. Putin did not give the impression of not wanting an agreement of that nature. There was therefore a case for mediation on these lines provided Russia put an immediate stop to its military action.
It is extremely important for India to see that Ukraine's independence was fully preserved as this was the raison d'etre for the US and India leading the cause of the democratic world against the axis of dictatorial and fundamentalist forces symbolised by the Sino- Pak military alliance.
Prime Minister Modi who emerged as the only world leader whose intervention was sought by both sides, spoke to President Putin precisely in this light and called for immediate stoppage of Russian military action and acceptance of talks for mutually resolving the issues and establishing peace.
Predictably, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine also reached out to Prime Minister Modi after India had clarified that its abstention at the UNSC on this issue was meant to project its 'impartiality' towards both sides and received an assurance that India stood for immediate cessation of military action by Russia and start of a mediation process through talks in which India was willing to help. Meanwhile, reports indicated that President Biden was also inclined to have a talk with Indian Prime Minister on the Ukraine situation.
Prime Minister Modi stands tall in the world community and if India emerges as a key participant in evolving a formula for peace in the Ukraine- Russia conflict that would reaffirm the rise of India under Modi as a major influence on global issues of 'war' and peace. This remarkable appearance of India on the world scene as the counsel of sanity in the context of Ukraine- Russia military confrontation is attributable to Prime Minister Modi's approach of wisdom to international relations.
It rested on bilateral dealings based on mutuality of interests in economic and security spheres without prejudice to the cause of global peace, freedom from ideological tilts that compromised with the larger interests of humanity and a firm belief in the Indian philosophy of upholding the truth at home and abroad as a civilisational legacy of this country.
Whatever be the course of further developments in Ukraine, India should stand by a 3-point framework of a stable solution global acceptance of Ukraine as a sovereign nation outside of NATO, adoption of peace agreement by Ukraine with all its neighbours and maintenance of only a moderate army by Ukraine to go with a transparent withdrawal of Russian military presence from Ukraine.
(The writer is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau. The views expressed are personal)
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