During the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, experts predicted a situation to be a disastrous dilemma for India. Turns out, India silently won the Russia-Ukraine war it was not even the part of.
Highlights —
- India’s wheat export soars amid Russia-Ukraine war, hits record 7.85 million tons
- India buys more than 3 million barrels of crude oil from Russia despite Biden’s threats
- Zelenskyy addresses to the UN, “Russian troops no less than terrorists.”
- Instagram and Facebook blocks hashtags on civilian killings in Ukraine, briefly.
After more than a month of catastrophic havoc, Russia-Ukraine war is finally nearing a halt. The two countries are now talking about peacemaking. Five days back, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a tentative peace plan and Putin has already begin to call his military home.
And now, a bigger question prevails, who won the war?
Her is the bigger question- did anyone won this war?
It is hard to tell if either of Russia or Ukraine won this war. However, there is one nation who might have come close to what we call victory in this war- India.
Geopolitical situations of the world are taking a new shape and India’s diplomacy deserves an acclaim.
India’s Neutral Stand- The Country Doing What’s Necessary, Not Succumbing to West’s Pressure
Two weeks ago, the PM of Pakistan Imran Khan, praised India’s foreign policy for taking a neutral stand saying, it “stands for its people”.
UN held 5 voting sessions to assess nations’ stand on the Russia-Ukraine war. India successfully abstained from voting in all the rounds despite the threats and warnings from the U.S.
Irrespective of Biden calling India’s stand “shaky”, experts believe that India’s diplomacy emerged as dominant throughout the crises.
U.S. recognises the importance of its Indian alliance as much as it is aware of Russia’s importance to India. Foreign policy experts even believe that Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine should not hamper the US-India alliance. Instead, India should be made self-reliant to reduce its dependence on Russia.
This holds true for India. While the country is dependent on Russia for short-term defence needs, U.S. is equally important to deter the threats posed by China.
Keeping its stand strong to prioritise its people, and still not losing U.S. as a diplomatic ally is a major victory for India.
Influx of Foreign Diplomats Visiting India
Diplomats from all over the world are paying visit to India. From U.S. and U.K. to Japan and Russia, New Delhi has been hosting high level delegation since March.
Consider this, the Foreign Minister of Russia visited India on April 1. Around the same time, US diplomat Daleep Singh, who is the key architect of all the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia, also visited India.
Lizz Trust, foreign secretary of Britain and PM of Israel Neftali Bennette are also among the list of foreign diplomats visiting India. Other nations sending high level delegates to India include Germany, EU, Japan, Australia, Mexico and China in March.
Space for India to Fill the Trade Gap Left by Russia and Ukraine
It is no secret that the Russia-Ukraine war has offered India an unparalleled trade opportunity. World’s 25% of wheat export segment was dominated by Russia and Ukraine alone. However, the destruction in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia have affected the global wheat supply adversely.
This potential food crisis is actually leading towards a disruption. India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world with approx 100 million tons of annual production. Despite producing more wheat than the combined production by Russia and Ukraine, India is till only the 18th largest exporter of wheat.
Currently, India exports less than 1% of its wheat produce. This production is largely limited to the neighbouring countries.
This is the time to channelize the abundant wheat supply into the export market. This is a global opportunity for India to develop its foreign reserve.
Steel sector, is another opportunity for the country. Russia’s 10-11% contribution in the global steel market is again, threatened due to the war. This is another gap that India can fill with the right strategy.
