Ukraine conflict: Fine tightrope walk by Indian diplomacy

The Ukraine conflict represented the most formidable challenge to the international order established after the Second World War. It presented multiple challenges for India as it was goaded by the West to demonstrate the same concern for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine as for the Indo-Pacific states. On one side, India had to consider its multifaceted relationship with Russia spanning across political, economic and defence fields. On the other, it had to reckon with its growing ties with the US and Europe, which have acquired considerable significance in view of mounting threats on its northern and eastern borders.

While India abstained from voting on Ukraine related resolutions in the UN, it conveyed in its explanation of its vote its firm disapproval of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty and the need for all countries to respect the international law and the UN charter. Arguing for peace, PM Modi spoke to the presidents of both Russia and Ukraine and urged them for an immediate cessation of violence and hostilities and a "return to dialogue and diplomacy".

There were several factors at play behind the Indian abstention. These included India's continued reliance on Russia for its security needs, the latter's readiness in the past to provide timely military assistance and transfer new generations of technologies for manufacturing fighter aircraft, missiles, naval frigates and provision of nuclear submarines. India cannot ignore the growing role of Russia in its neighbourhood, which has been a source of continuing cross-border terrorism. India does not want Russia to become subservient to Beijing and augment the latter's aggressive hostility against India.

Another vital consideration that weighed with India was that it still needed Russia's assistance to extricate its nationals trapped in Ukraine. Operation Ganga, undertaken by India in March 2022 with 90 flights, was unique in global history as it evacuated more than 20,000 nationals while the country grappled with airstrikes and shelling. The flights from India to Poland provided free air passage to several Ukrainian nationals and carried 90 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including medicines, tents, tarps, blankets, sleeping bags, surgical gloves and eye goggles for the people of Ukraine.

At one point, US President Joe Biden was unhappy with India's "somewhat shaky" stand on Ukraine, but the situation changed after PM Narendra Modi spoke to him before the 'two plus two' dialogue in April 2020. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken conceded later that the US had to be mindful of where India had come from (a reference to the historic close India-Russia ties). After the Modi- Biden and two plus two talks, the US took a conscious decision that the Western countries had to scale up their political, economic, technological and defence engagement with India to reduce its dependence on Russia to ensure that India is firmly anchored with the West in its contestation with China and Russia.

There were several high-level visitors from the UK, European Union, Italy, Norway, Sweden and other countries, some in the bilateral context and others to attend India's strategic forum called Raisina dialogue in April-May 2022. British PM Boris Johnson conceded that different countries are in varying positions on energy security and their ability to reduce dependence on energy imports from Russia. India and the UK resolved to expand cooperation in trade, energy and projects involving joint research, co-design and joint manufacture of defence technology systems, such as fighter aircraft and maritime electric propulsion systems.

During the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, India and the EU agreed on expediting negotiations for a free trade deal and set up a Trade and Technology Council (TTC) to tackle the challenges involving trade, technology and security issues and provide political direction for sustainable progress of their economies. India is the second country with which the EU has established such a mechanism after the US.

Modi reciprocated these exchanges during his visit to Germany, Denmark and France from May 2-4, where he got an opportunity to exchange views with the newly elected German chancellor on Ukraine, Afghanistan, terrorism and other issues. The two countries decided to establish a biennial ministerial mechanism to provide political direction to their overall relationship, including an Indo-German partnership for green and sustainable development with 10 billion euros in new funding by Germany till 2030.

Modi's visit to Denmark on May 4 enabled him to exchange views with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen on green strategic partnership and hold the second India-Nordic summit with participation of the prime ministers of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The two sides decided to deepen cooperation on green transition, climate change, blue economy, innovation and digitisation.

The visit to Paris on May 4 provided a valuable opportunity to confer with the re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron on Ukraine, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and other issues. The two countries agreed to expand their strategic partnership in advanced defence technology, manufacturing, exports, renewable energy, cyber security, space and digital infrastructure in our quest for Atamnirbhar Bharat.

PM Modi paid an important visit to Tokyo on May 23-24 to attend the Quad summit, where he also met Biden and the prime ministers of Japan and Australia. He announced India's decision to join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which will augment the economic partnership among the Quad, major ASEAN countries, South Korea and New Zealand in trade and technology policy, resilient supply chains, infrastructure and other areas. India and the US agreed on a new investment agreement to encourage investments in renewable energy, agriculture, health and SMEs. They also announced new initiatives to expand cooperation in critical and emerging technologies. The US decided to join six of India's technology hubs in artificial intelligence, data science, and other fields.

India's decision to institute a ban on wheat export has generated some controversy. There were several reasons underpinning this decision. First, its wheat production in the 2021-22 crop season is officially projected to be about 106.41 million tonnes (mt), which is 3.8 mt lower than last year's output and 4.41 per cent less than the previous estimate of 111.32 mt, mainly due to the unprecedented heatwave. Second, the price of wheat in the domestic market was increasing as some traders had started accumulating it for export. Third, as wheat is the basic staple crop in India, the government had to step in to ensure adequate procurement. Fourth, some countries had started hoarding the available supply, leading to shortages and increased prices in the global markets. While India's food security would be paramount, the government has clarified that it would allow wheat export to meet the needs of " vulnerable economies".

The above efforts have helped in gaining a broader appreciation of India's stand on the Ukraine conflict among its key partners. India has ramped up its strategic cooperation with the US, Japan, Australia, the UK, the EU and other countries by forging new agreements for cooperation in trade, energy, climate change, defence and other areas. It has also been successful in safeguarding its traditional relationship with Russia. India's relations with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries have crossed new milestones with the conclusion of free trade agreements and new investments. The Ukraine conflict created immense challenges for the Indian diplomacy but with calm, careful and deft handling, India has been able to meet these head on and take its cooperation with its development partners to new heights, which will contribute immensely to the country's future progress.

(The writer is a former ambassador who writes on foreign affairs.)