India in Difficult Position Amidst Russia-Ukraine War

3 March 2023 05:11

Indian External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Greeted G20 foreign ministers ahead of their meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. Ahead of the meeting host nation, India has found itself in a difficult spot as it tries to leverage its position on the global stage while bridging the gap between the west and Russia.

India is expected to adopt a neutral stance on Ukraine as it has in the past with the event likely to be overshadowed by the war in Europe and its impact on global energy and food security. India was forced to issue a chair’s summary at the conclusion of the G20 finance ministers meeting after Russia and china objected to a joint communique that retained language on the conflict in Ukraine. Drawn directly from last year's G20 leaders summit declaration.

India hopes to avert a repeat of that but prospects appear dim. So far, India has refrained from directly criticizing Russia its major cold war-era ally while increasing imports of Russian oil even as it has increasingly faced pressure to take a firm stand on Moscow. India has also abstained from voting in un resolutions that condemn the Ukraine invasion. The antagonism has left G20 host India in the position of trying to reconcile clearly irreconcilable differences.