Reports are breaking that India may have helped persuade Moscow from using tactical nuclear weapons during the initial months of the Russo-Ukrainian War, according to Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski. India, an important partner to many nations worldwide, is also greatly respected by Vladimir Putin. It has played an important part in preventing the war in Ukraine from spreading further, and the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is one of the few world leaders whose words are taken seriously by the Kremlin. Because of this unique status, India could be an important player in bringing an end to the war, given that it is one of the few parties that is truly neutral.
India: One of the Few Nations Moscow Listens To
Russia’s President Putin Sitting at a Desk. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
While speaking to the news agency ANI, Bartoszewski gave his thoughts on the current status of the war in Ukraine and India’s unique position in the conflict. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very well-known world statesman who is very respected, and India has a long-standing relationship with the Russian Federation and, before that, with the Soviet Union as a non-aligned nation. President Putin actually pays attention to what Prime Minister Modi tells him,” he said. According to the deputy foreign minister. This makes India well positioned to influence the Kremlin in ways that few other countries can even dream of. ”
Prime Minister Modi is one of the few people who can actually exert some pressure and influence on President Putin, and that is clearly something India could do to help stop this conflict,” The Deputy Prime Minister added.
What We Know
According to Bartoszewski, few foreign leaders have significant influence in Moscow, aside from a select few from nations Russia does not consider hostile. “Everybody is against escalation, not only India with Prime Minister Modi but also China’s Xi Jinping. It’s important, especially when it comes from countries that are not seen as hostile to Russia. India’s role here is crucial,” he said. Earlier, it was reported by President Zelensky that China had issued a warning to Moscow to refrain from using nuclear weapons against Ukraine as the war continues to escalate.
Putin November 2022. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Among the few countries that Moscow considers friendly, or at least neutral, China and India hold the most sway in Putin’s ear.
This could position the two as important intermediaries to end the war in Ukraine as relations between Russia and the U.S. deteriorate.
A Mediator Between Moscow and Europe
Putin himself has spoken very positively of Modi in the past and considers India to be a valuable partner. The Russian President praised India’s independent foreign policy and said it would be foolish to pressure India on its ties to Moscow. “Everyone has understood that putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India, which has the largest population in the world, is detrimental to international relations and to bilateral relations,” Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “We are glad that India is developing its relations with all countries it thinks important for its national interests,” he added. India has been a valuable partner for Moscow. Since the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine, India has continued to purchase Russian oil and gas, despite Western sanctions, which have been invaluable for Russia’s war economy.
India’s decision to purchase Russian oil drew heavy criticism from many Western countries, including Poland, which argued that Modi was indirectly supporting Putin’s war effort.
However, Poland, Bartoszewski said, has since come to understand India’s rationale, given the steep discounts Russia offers New Delhi. “I think we were critical about India buying Russian oil,” he said. “We understood the economic reason for that because it was at a heavy discount, about 40 percent less than the market price. We understood that, but it was fuelling the Russian war economy. So we had a different view on that.” Despite its support for Russia, India is also an important partner for Europe. This positions New Delhi as an important intermediary between Moscow and the rest of Europe.
A Brief History of Russian-Indian Relations
Moscow and New Delhi have had a long and fruitful relationship. When India first achieved independence from Britain, the USSR supplied the country with military equipment and economic aid during a time when the newly born country was still struggling to stand on its own two feet. Relations reached their zenith in the 1970s, when Moscow supported India during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. This was especially important to New Delhi as the United States and China decided to support Pakistan. Despite the close ties with the Soviets, India was able to declare neutrality during the Cold War and maintain ties with the U.S. and the West.
After the collapse of the USSR, New Delhi remained a valuable partner for Moscow. In 2001, India signed a deal with Moscow to purchase 310 T-90 tanks and subsequent contracts for their domestic manufacture in India. This deal helped save Russia’s collapsing defense industry and provided a valuable boost to the Russian economy amid financial chaos. Since then, India has been a valued defense partner, acquiring aircraft, air defense systems, and other military equipment from Russia. As said earlier, New Delhi has increased its oil imports from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. More recently, however, India has been supplying Russia with refined gasoline, as the country now faces a fuel shortage due to Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries.
Overall, Moscow and New Delhi have been and shall remain close partners. While the two have not always seen eye to eye, Russia and India share immense respect for each other on the international stage.
Modi has a significant influence on Moscow and is one of the few international leaders who can actually exert some pressure on the Kremlin. Thus far, India’s pressure has been minimal, only encouraging the Russians to avoid using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. In the future, however, India could be a valuable player in a future peace settlement, as it is one of the few neutral nations that Russia sincerely trusts.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
