Is India Positioning Itself As A Peacemaker In Russia-Ukraine War? Here Are Five Telling Signs

India is finally stepping up to play the role of a peacemaker in the Russia-Ukraine war.

With the war stretching out to two and a half years, its impact on the globe has been disastrous. Several nations have taken entirely opposite sides, causing disruptions in the global supply chains. Inflation has touched record highs, and multiple economically weak nations have gone down under.

There is a dire need to start some form of peace talks that will at least bring a temporary halt to the fighting and bring the warring parties to the table.

Already, the Western-backed sham of a peace talk held in Switzerland three months ago, between 15 and 16 June, failed to reach any result.

The West — the US, UK and Europe — is too deeply invested in the war to be of any help in fair negotiations, as was amply shown in the peace initiative in Switzerland, where Russia (one of the main parties in the conflict) was not even invited.

The Chinese, on the other hand, have publicly chosen to side with the Russians, effectively shutting down any chance of them leading the peace talks.

It is only India, with its consistent stance of peace since the beginning of the war and its good relations with both warring parties — Ukraine (and its Western backers, ie, the US, UK, and Europe) and Russia — that has positioned itself well to be at the centre stage for leading peace talks.

Now, it looks like this is working, and India is beginning to play the role of a peacemaker. Here are five signs that suggest so:

(1) PM Modi’s Visit To Russia

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia in July, there was a lot of heartburn in the West over his embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States even asked India to choose a side, stating that it cannot remain neutral.

Amidst all the hoopla and negative commentary, PM Modi told Putin that peace talks do not succeed when bombs, guns, and bullets are raining, and that fighting on the battlefield is not a solution to the conflict.

This reaffirmed India’s earlier stance when, in 2022, PM Modi told the Russian President that “now is not the time for war”.

(2) PM Modi’s Historic Visit To Ukraine

Six weeks after the Russia visit, PM Modi visited Ukraine and again advocated for peace.

He told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “We are not neutral. From the very beginning, we have taken sides. And we have chosen the side of peace. We have come from the land of Buddha, where there is no place for war.”

He also told Zelensky that India is ready to play an active role in restoring peace, putting his hat in the ring as an active mediator.

(3) Phone Call With Biden

Just after PM Modi returned from Ukraine, he called US President Joe Biden and shared his insights on Ukraine with the US President.

Although the US readout of the call made no mention of peace talks, speculation grew that India was trying to bring both Zelensky and Putin to the table for talks.

(4) Putin Endorsing India As A Mediator

A day after the talks with Biden, PM Modi spoke on the phone with Putin and briefed him on the situation in Ukraine.

A week later, Russian President Putin endorsed India among three other countries — Brazil and China — to be mediators in the conflict.

He said, “We respect our friends and partners, who I think are sincerely interested in addressing and resolving all the issues associated with the conflict (with Ukraine). China, Brazil, India… I am in contact with my partners, and I have no doubt that the leaders of these countries — and we have relations of trust and confidence with one another — will be genuinely interested in providing a helping hand.”

(5) NSA Ajit Doval To Head To Moscow

Now, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will head to Moscow this week for discussions on resolving the war.

Just two days ago (7 August), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also advocated for India and China’s role in resolving the conflict.

All these diplomatic activities strengthen the argument that India is finally going to play the role of a mediator.