Pages

28 August 2024

It can’t be a dialogue of the deaf: How Zelensky chiding India for buying Russian oil is plain hypocrisy - Opinion

Anil Trigunayat

It appears that two hugs by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Volodymyr Zelensky in Apulia and Kyiv have been weighed lightly compared to the one given to Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Zelensky had invited and hosted PM Modi and has been asking India, along with other Western leaders, to leverage its influence with President Putin to end the conflict. Hence PM Modi used his personal diplomacy and credit with Putin in July to find a reasonable solution through dialogue, diplomacy, and respect for the UN Charter.

Logical triad of meetings on the sidelines of the G7 and Moscow was to head to Kyiv even if it entailed 20 hours of train ride for the Indian leader. The cause of peace and diplomacy was important. The visit has no doubt repaired the misplaced deficit in the bilateral context, as the four MoUs and agreements were signed and a detailed joint statement was issued on the way forward.

PM Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Poland and Ukraine, both of whom are antagonistic to Russia. While empathising with Zelensky, PM Modi urged that both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis. “I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace," the Indian PM said, assuring that he personally was ready to play his part.

No comments:

Post a Comment