India ready to extend help ‘in any manner’ to end Russia-Ukraine war: Jaishankar in Kyiv
During a visit to Kyiv, India's external affairs establishment conveyed that India stands ready to extend help "in any manner" to help end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its fifth year.
The visit included talks with Ukraine's foreign ministry focused on prospects for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict.
The visit followed an interaction between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, where India reiterated that "the era of war must give way to the end of war."
The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India's long-held position that solutions to the conflict cannot emerge from the battlefield and must be found through dialogue.
India's Strategic Autonomy Doctrine
Strategic autonomy refers to India's foreign policy approach of maintaining independent decision-making in international relations rather than aligning permanently with any power bloc, allowing it to pursue ties with multiple, even rival, powers simultaneously based on national interest. This doctrine is the contemporary evolution of India's Cold War-era policy of Non-Alignment, formalised through the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) founded in 1961 by leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru.
India's offer to help end the war "in any manner," without taking a side, exemplifies strategic autonomy in practice, positioning India as a potential interlocutor rather than a party aligned against either Russia or Ukraine.
India's Voting Pattern at the UN Security Council on Russia-Ukraine Resolutions
Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has consistently abstained from UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions that explicitly condemn Russia's actions, while calling for cessation of hostilities and dialogue. This reflects India's calibrated position of not taking sides in a great-power conflict while emphasising the primacy of the UN Charter's principles on sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Key Details
- India abstained from the February 2022 UNSC resolution condemning Russia's military action in Ukraine, alongside China and the UAE.
- India has repeatedly abstained from similar General Assembly resolutions on the conflict while issuing separate explanations of vote emphasising dialogue and diplomacy.
- India's stated position has been that "this is not an era of war," a phrase used at multilateral forums including the SCO and G20.
The diplomatic outreach to both Kyiv and Moscow builds on this consistent non-aligned voting pattern, reinforcing India's positioning as a country maintaining channels with both sides of the conflict rather than backing one side diplomatically.
Energy Trade Dimension: Discounted Russian Crude Oil Imports
Since 2022, India has substantially increased imports of discounted Russian crude oil, becoming one of the largest buyers of Russian oil amid Western sanctions on Russia. This trade has become a significant factor in India-Russia bilateral relations and a point of scrutiny from Western partners, even as India has defended the imports as necessary for energy security and price stability for its consumers.
Key Details
- India's energy security policy prioritises diversified and affordable crude sourcing, with Russian oil becoming a major share of India's crude import basket after 2022.
- The Ministry of External Affairs has defended these imports as a sovereign economic decision rooted in national interest, distinct from India's diplomatic position on the conflict itself.
- The issue has featured in trade discussions with Western partners, including tariff-related friction with the United States.
India's continued energy engagement with Russia alongside its diplomatic outreach to Ukraine illustrates the balancing act inherent in strategic autonomy, maintaining economic ties with one party to the conflict while offering diplomatic support for its resolution to the other.
- The Russia-Ukraine conflict, as referenced in the visit, is now in its fifth year (began February 2022).
- India abstained from the UNSC resolution condemning Russia's military action in Ukraine (February 2022), joined in abstention by China and the UAE.
- The diplomatic visit to Kyiv followed a meeting between the Indian Prime Minister and the Russian President on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
- The Non-Aligned Movement, the doctrinal precursor to India's current strategic autonomy approach, was founded in 1961.