From calling for peace, Delhi is now working for it

Why in the News

India has moved from urging restraint in the Russia-Ukraine war to actively working for peace, talking to both sides on a proposal to end the fighting. Both Kyiv and Moscow have praised India’s ideas, and the war’s strain on world food and energy supplies gives India a direct stake in ending it.

How has India’s role in the war changed?

1. Earlier stance: Since the war began in February 2022, Delhi has urged restraint. In September 2022 the Prime Minister told the Russian President “this is not an era of war”.
2. Beyond advocacy: The External Affairs Minister says India has gone “beyond advocacy” and now talks to both sides. India acts like a go-between carrying proposals across.
3. Acceptance in Kyiv and Moscow: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister called India’s proposal the “most comprehensive” Kyiv has received. The Russian President said the Prime Minister has “very good ideas” on peace.
4. Role to build on: Working for peace, not just calling for it, is a welcome shift that Delhi must now build on.
5. The takeaway: Praise from both warring capitals shows India is now trusted as a working channel, not just a voice for peace.

Why does ending the war serve India’s interests too?

1. Global food shock risk: Russia and Ukraine are both major grain exporters. Strikes on their ports and ships hurt farmers and raise the risk of a global food shock.
2. Fertiliser squeeze: The External Affairs Minister has warned of a “major food crisis” in coming months. It would worsen fertiliser shortages caused by wars in Eastern Europe and West Asia.
3. Energy and United States ties: The war has disrupted European energy markets. India’s purchases of Russian oil have also strained its ties with the United States (US).
4. Shared gain: An end to the war, or even de-escalation, would ease these pressures, so India’s interest here aligns with the world’s.

Where can Indian diplomacy actually deliver?

1. Narrow agenda: Delhi should focus on specific issues such as grain and energy, not sweeping questions of territory or security guarantees.
2. Common ground first: Both sides have immediate, shared interests in grain and energy, so a deal there does not need the harder questions settled first.
3. Limited leverage: India has less sway over Ukraine than the US, and over Russia than China. It can still show it is bringing the two sides to talk.
4. Answering critics: A record of even-handed diplomacy would answer critics who see India as too close to Russia. That tie has drawn scrutiny over oil for nearly five years.

Challenges

1. Territorial deadlock: Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on territory, which caps how far issue-based deals can go.
2. Pressure over Russian oil: Washington’s pressure on India’s oil purchases narrows its room to act as a neutral channel. Eg. The additional US tariff on India in August 2025.
3. Fragile grain deals: Past food arrangements have collapsed under military pressure. Eg. Russia quit the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023.
4. Crowded mediation field: Several states run parallel peace channels, which can dilute any single proposal. Eg. Saudi Arabia hosted Ukraine talks in Jeddah in 2023.

Way Forward

1. Safe passage for grain: India should propose a monitored safe-passage arrangement for grain ships and ports that both sides can verify.
2. Energy infrastructure truce: Delhi should press both sides to halt strikes on energy facilities as a first confidence-building step.
3. Coordination with other mediators: India should work alongside Türkiye, the Gulf states and the United Nations rather than run a rival track.
4. Wider crude sourcing: India should diversify its crude imports to blunt the charge of partiality toward Moscow.

Conclusion

India has turned its neutrality into active, issue-based mediation that serves both its own food and energy security and global stability. Whether Delhi can secure even a limited understanding on one shared issue will test whether both warring sides, and Washington, accept its role as even-handed.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2025, GS2, 10 marks] With the waning of globalization, post-Cold War world is becoming a site of sovereign nationalism. Elucidate.”