Enjoying good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, India is trying to put itself forward as a force for peace. In Dossier No. 52 Priyam Gandhi-Mody describes how the Modi government has been interacting with Kiev and Moscow in recent years, maintaining a neutral stance and thus positioning itself as uniquely qualified to promote a peace agreement.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  • As allies on both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict got deeply involved, India found itself at a crossroads. While Russia has stood by India firmly in times of crisis and war, India’s growing strategic partnerships with Ukraine, the EU and the United States continues to form India’s nuanced strategy on the conflict.
  • India continues to repeatedly appeal for peace and conflict-resolution off the battlefield. India understands the challenges that the conflict brings to the global economy, trade, markets; and thus, its negative impact on the economies of developing nations. Its stance to press for peace is also driven by interests of the Global South. Thus, a peace proposition offered or supported by India is most likely to bring support from most developing economies across the world.
  • India is the only economy in the top 5 economies of the world which has not chosen a side in this conflict. This position of neutrality offers merit and possibly a key to arrive at an agreeable solution towards lasting peace in the region.
  • This report provides the history of India’s relationships with Ukraine and Russia, India’s history of choosing peace over violence in its own conflicts, India's nuanced position as a neutral power capable of not only providing solutions for lasting peace but also playing a part in allying global opinion, particularly that of the Global South towards a solution which is acceptable to both sides involved in the conflict.

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Dossier 52 - India and Russia-Ukraine crisis
Priyam Gandhi-Mody

Author and expert on strategic political communication. For years she worked with the Prime Minister's Office of India.

She is currently focused on building international relationships and documenting the prime minister's relations with other world leaders.

She studied at the University of Delaware and Florida State University.