Opinion Zelenskyy calling Narendra Modi
While Delhi may want to play a role in ending the conflict in keeping with its aspiration to speak on behalf of the global south, where the economic brunt of the conflict is being most acutely felt, its wary engagement with both Moscow and Kiev suggests that it is uncertain about how it can do so.
Zelenskyy’s appeal to Modi may also be based on the expectation that Delhi is willing to play a role after the PM’s remark to Putin in September that this is “not the era for war”. 
The over 10-month-long Russia-Ukraine war seems nowhere close to an end. It is significant, though, that the two sides want to be seen as making an effort to bring it to a close with declarations that they are ready for talks. However, it is obvious there is no meeting ground yet. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he wants dialogue with Ukraine, but its western allies are holding it back. Ukraine says Putin is diverting attention from his real intentions to usurp its territory. But amid the posturing, the realisation is sinking in that the war cannot continue forever. This was also obvious in the 10-point “peace formula” invoked by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi – India’s G20 presidency may have provided the immediate context for Ukraine to seek India’s support for the formula first laid out at the Bali summit of the G20 in November. It includes, among other things, troop withdrawal from Ukrainian territory and Russian reaffirmation of Ukrainian sovereignty, war reparations paid by Moscow, and a special tribunal to try Putin and others for the invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who said he would “now count on India’s participation” in the implementation of this plan, called a week after his visit to the US, where the Biden Administration announced it would pump $1.84 bn more, including a Patriot missile battery system, into Ukraine’s war efforts. PM Modi’s cautiously worded response “strongly reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities”, asking that both sides “revert to dialogue and diplomacy”, and also conveying “India’s support for any peace efforts”.
Zelenskyy’s appeal to Modi may also be based on the expectation that Delhi is willing to play a role after the PM’s remark to Putin in September that this is “not the era for war”. This was seized upon in the west as an expression of India’s frustration that an old friend had put it in a tight spot. Significantly, the India-Russia annual summit, the most important event in the bilateral calendar, has not taken place. It is usually held in the closing weeks of the year, and would have entailed PM Modi travelling to the Russian capital.
While Delhi may want to play a role in ending the conflict in keeping with its aspiration to speak on behalf of the global south, where the economic brunt of the conflict is being most acutely felt, its wary engagement with both Moscow and Kiev suggests that it is uncertain about how it can do so. This is just as well. Delhi has much to worry about in terms of conflicts on its own borders that need the attention of the government. Of course, when Russia and Ukraine are genuinely ready to negotiate, India, as an important member of the international community, is bound to contribute to multilateral efforts to ensure a positive outcome.
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