By Shubham Ghosh
India’s foreign policy has come of age under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visit to the war-ravaged nation of Ukraine on August 23 has made it evident once again. The Indian PM became the first person from his country to go to Ukraine after it became independent in 1991. The visit, albeit a brief one, also came just over a month after Modi visited Russia.
It is not that Ukraine is facing a serious challenge from Russia, which invaded it in February 2022, for the first time. In 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea, India spoke of Russia’s ‘legitimate interests’ in Ukraine, which many experts saw as an implicit backing for Moscow, given the two countries’ time-tested ties. A decade later, Ukraine no longer seems to be a far-away case for New Delhi. It also suggests that under PM Modi, India has ensured itself the stature of a responsible global power, keeping pace with its growing economic clout.
During his hours-long stay in Ukraine where he went by train from Poland, Modi made significant gestures that touched upon humanitarian and bilateral ties. First, he went to a memorial for children who lost their lives during the war at the National Museum of History in Kyiv, where he showed solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. If put in the context of Russia attacking a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital when Modi was in Moscow and the Ukrainian leader strongly reacting to his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, the gesture sends a strong message indeed.
The two nations also mentioned continuing defense cooperation between them in their joint statement after Modi’s visit, which highlights that India is ready to treat Ukraine out of Russia’s shadows. With his game-changing visit to Ukraine, PM Modi not only de-hyphenated Russia and Ukraine but also boosted India’s image as a ‘Vishwaguru’. It was an apt saying by both the prime minister and his foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that India is not neutral, it is on the side of peace.
While PM Modi doesn't have much in common with Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, he has given the spirit of the latter’s Non-Aligned Movement a more contemporary shape. India is one of the few nations that has maintained good ties with Russia and the West. Yes, the China factor has facilitated New Delhi’s balancing act since the West needs it to counter Beijing. It, however, doesn’t dwarf India’s endeavor towards attaining strategic autonomy, away
from the pressure of the Cold War-like politics of polarized camps.
New Delhi could show the courage to reach out to Kyiv since it has done much to win Russia’s confidence as a close ally and their camaraderie will lose little despite Modi giving Zelenskyy a warm hug. It would be wrong to conclude that the Indian PM went to Ukraine to placate the Western quarters, particularly after his ‘mistimed’ visit to Russia. New Delhi is adept at meandering through the complexities of international politics, which was seen during the G20 summit it hosted last year.
Through the visit to Kyiv, Modi also tried to assert that New Delhi is serious about leading the Global South, something it has exhibited in other areas such as climate change. It is also trying to match China’s diplomatic clout in global affairs, particularly when Beijing is suspected of influencing New Delhi’s neighbors against it. The visit came exactly a month after Ukrainian foreign minister Dymitro Kuleba went to Beijing at the latter’s invitation which gave birth to speculation about China’s role in ending the conflict.
One may find a parallel between India’s approach towards the Ukraine crisis and its role during the Korean War (1950-53) to ensure that it did not escalate into another major war. Seven decades later, it is working again as a responsible global power, this time as one of the world’s fastest-growing countries.
(The writer is a senior journalist and global affairs analyst based in Bengaluru)
