Impact of Ukraine Russia War Crisis on India and Asia
Most Asian countries have either prepared for any eventuality or have offered to mediate the talks between Russia and Ukraine. India, on the other hand, has largely avoided involvement.
Russia and Ukraine have been at odds for years, even after the Minsk agreements were signed following Moscow’s seizure of Crimea, which is part of Ukraine. Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union until December 1991, when it left. It was the “disintegration of historical Russia,” according to Putin. Just last year, Putin referred to Russians and Ukrainians as “one nation.”
The broadest and most direct impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a significant shift in global power, which has been dominated for the past seven decades by the United States-led vision of rules and values. According to Sky News, the transfer of power from the United States to Russia would affect every nation on the planet, including England and Ukraine. It is also difficult to imagine a powerful neighbour, Russia, seizing a European nation in the twenty-first century.
Most Asian countries have either prepared for any eventuality or have offered to mediate the talks between Russia and Ukraine. India, on the other hand, has largely avoided involvement. India, along with Gabon and Kenya, abstained from voting on the Ukraine crisis at the most recent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting. Instead, India has called for a solution that takes into account “the legitimate security interests of all countries and aims to secure long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
India’s friendship with Russia dates back to the early days of the Cold War; officials regard Moscow as a trustworthy partner. India remained silent when Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014, and it voted against a United Nations resolution defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity. According to Tanvi Madan and Pranab Dhal Samanta, another Russian invasion of Ukraine would be devastating to Indian interests. New sanctions would also make India’s defense trade with Russia more difficult.
India will be hard pressed to stand up to Moscow, and not just for sentimental reasons. Russia is India’s top arms supplier, and the country risked US sanctions by purchasing the S-400 missile defense system. Moscow also makes an important contribution to a multipolar world order by dispersing power beyond Washington and Beijing. This, too, makes India more likely to stay quiet about Russia’s actions in Ukraine and elsewhere.
