Pak Sahafat – As the head of the Group of 20, India’s diplomatic role has become more pronounced, experts say, but some are skeptical about how far New Delhi can help implement the peace formula in Ukraine.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency’s report on Wednesday from Tahili Print India website, experts say Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky underscores India’s growing influence on the world stage despite recent criticism of New Delhi’s energy imports from Moscow.
Modi spoke to Zelenskiy about the ongoing war, in this phone call, the Ukrainian Prime Minister sought India’s help as the head of the G20 to implement its 10-point peace formula and end the war in Ukraine.
A week ago, Indian Prime Minister had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The call to Zelensky also comes three weeks after Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulba said in an interview to New Delhi’s Indian News Channel: It is immoral for New Delhi to explain its oil purchases from Russia, while Europe also does the same thing.
Zelensky’s 10-point peace formula, first presented at the G20 summit in Bali in November, includes issues ranging from food and energy security to calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops, an end to hostilities and punishment for war crimes.
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India, as the chair of the G20, may be able to steer the discussions on global food and energy security in certain directions. Vijay Nambiar, a former diplomat, told an Indian media: The principle of the 10-point formula (withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territories) does not concern India.
Experts say that while India has enjoyed the goodwill of Russia and the West since the start of the war in Ukraine in February this year, its diplomatic importance has become more apparent with its presidency of the Group of 20.
According to former Indian diplomat Rajiv Bhatia, a senior fellow at the Mumbai-based foreign policy think-tank Gateway House, the contact between Zelensky and Modi is crucial because Modi is no longer speaking only as the leader of India, but also as the leader of the G20.
Foreign Minister Subranyam Jaishenkar also said that India, as the chair of the G20, seeks to make the “voice of the global south” heard.
Umo Bawa, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Center for European Studies, said: “Despite criticizing India’s energy imports from Russia, Zelensky’s call was an acknowledgment of India’s unique position in the world order.”
He said: Despite the recent statements of the Foreign Minister of Ukraine about India’s role in the suffering of his country, the leadership of Ukraine cannot ignore the important diplomatic role that India has found. Even if the criticism against India’s energy imports from Russia continues, New Delhi can get by precisely because of this diplomatic role and (also) as the host of the G20.