New Delhi was right to put its own interests first, Manmohan Singh has said
India has done “the right thing” by refusing to take sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, former prime minister Manmohan Singh told the Indian Express on Friday. With India holding the G20 presidency, Singh declared that the country has “a pivotal role to play in steering the new world order.”
New Delhi has pursued a policy of strategic neutrality on Ukraine, and has rebuffed Western calls to cease trade with Russia. This policy has allowed the country to fuel its growing economy with Russian coal, oil, and heavy equipment, all while maintaining cordial relations with the West.
“When two or more powers are caught in a conflict, there is immense pressure on other nations to choose sides,” said Singh, who served as prime minister between 2004 and 2014. “I believe India has done the right thing in putting our sovereign and economic interests first while also appealing for peace.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin several times since Moscow’s military operation began last February. He said earlier this summer that his government was “completely ready to contribute in any way we can to restore peace.”
“The international order is very different now, especially after the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the geopolitical rift between the Western nations and China,” Singh continued. “India has a pivotal role to play in steering this new world order. As a peaceful large democracy with constitutional values, built since independence, and a large, growing economy, India commands immense respect globally.”
India holds the presidency of the G20 this year, and the group’s annual summit kicks off in New Delhi on Saturday. Modi told the PTI news agency this week that he doesn’t intend to use the summit to push for a resolution in Ukraine, but will highlight climate change and the global debt crisis, the latter of which particularly affects developing countries.
“There are many different conflicts across various regions. All of them need to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said. “This is our stand on any conflict anywhere. Whether as G20 president or not, we will support every effort to ensure peace across the world.
“We have repeatedly emphasized that a divided world will find it difficult to fight common challenges,” he added.
