Veteran Indian diplomats have called upon New Delhi not to waste its "political capital" on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace plan, which they described as "flawed" for not including Russia.
"Indian shouldn’t mediate in Russia-Ukraine conflict till both the parties are present. India shouldn’t waste its political capital on this peace proposal," remarked Ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee, the President of India Habitat Centre and a former envoy to the Netherlands.
Mukherjee stressed that in order for the Ukraine conflict to end, it was imperative for both Russia and Ukraine to "talk to each other".
"Americans are hellbent to try and bleed Russia until the last Ukrainian is standing. The same perception is shared by Zelensky," said the former envoy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated in a media interview this month that Moscow won't participate in any event which promoted Zelensky's peace plan.
"This much has been clear to everyone for a long time. We are serious about being open to negotiations based on the reality," Lavrov said.
Mukherjee further noted that New Delhi had managed to "legally circumvent" the western sanctions, be it the question of Russian oil imports or the continuing deliveries of S-400 surface-to-air 'Triumf' missiles.
"The EU should be grateful to us for buying Russian oil, since refined products (derived out of Russian oil) have been exported to them from India," suggested Mukherjee.
Her comments were made at a conference titled 'New Directions in India's Foreign Policy: Modi 3.0', held at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The conference was co-organised by New Delhi-based think tanks Centre for Global India Insights (CGII) and India Futures.
The event discussed possibilities in India's foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term in power (2024-29), should he win the ongoing Lok Sabha election.
Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, who now serves as the Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, described Zelensky's peace proposal as "flawed".
"It can't happen without Russia," Sibal told the conference.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a photo prior to their talks on a sideline of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019
© Grigory Sysoyev
Russia to Remain Important for India in Modi's Third Term
Sibal emphasised during his address that Moscow would continue to remain "important" for New Delhi in the next five years.
"Russia has begun to value partnership with India in a much bigger way than it used to be the case before. Earlier, there was a sense that it is India which needs Russia more," stated Sibal, who's also served as a former Indian Ambassador to Moscow.
He said that growing economic ties between Russia and India weren’t a “temporary phenomenon”. Since last year, Moscow has emerged as New Delhi's top supplier of crude, helping two-way trade to hit a record of $65 billion in 2023-24.
"There is a genuine desire on both Indian and Russian side to increase trade and investment ties," underscored Sibal.
He also noted the expedited efforts being made by both the countries to fully develop and operationalise the connectivity routes such as Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) as well as the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Sibal expressed hope that the annual summit meetings between Prime Minister Modi and President Vladimir Putin would resume from this year. The last annual summit was held in New Delhi in December 2021.
"There will be a summit meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin. This has already been indicated during EAM S Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow in December," Sibal remarked.