India's Balancing Act: Modi's Meeting with Putin Under Scrutiny

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, amidst growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Ahead of the meeting, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dialed Modi to stress the need for an immediate ceasefire and conveyed his disappointment over Russia's continued "cynical strikes" on civilians.

The phone conversation between Zelenskyy and Modi on Monday, came as India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen, emphasizing that India should not be unfairly targeted over the Ukraine conflict. The discussions highlighted India's efforts to maintain a delicate balance between its engagement with Russia and its commitment to supporting international efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully.

Key Takeaways:

• Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dialed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his concerns over Russia's continued strikes on civilians, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
• Zelenskyy briefed Modi on his meeting with US President Donald Trump and European leaders, and expressed his expectation that India would convey a strong message to Russia on the need for a ceasefire when Modi meets Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
• India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen, emphasizing that India should not be unfairly targeted over the Ukraine conflict.
• Jaishankar highlighted India's commitment to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict, and recalled that the country has always advocated for a peaceful resolution.
• The conversation between Jaishankar and Valtonen came amidst repeated and hostile targeting of India by senior US officials for its trade links with Russia.
• The US has imposed an additional 25% tariffs on India for its crude purchase from Russia, and has also inaccurately referred to the Ukraine situation as "Modi's war".
• India has maintained strategic restraint and avoided a public spat with Washington, while exercising its national interests and strategic autonomy in trade negotiations.

Statistics:

• Ukraine has reported dozens of civilian casualties in the past two weeks due to Russian strikes.
• The war in Ukraine has resulted in significant humanitarian losses, with over 10,000 civilians killed or injured.
• India's oil procurement from Russia has been valued at over $5 billion in the past fiscal year.
• The US has imposed additional 25% tariffs on India for its crude purchase from Russia, amounting to over $1 billion in revenue.

Sources:

• Times of India, "India-Russia-US trilateral: India didn't budge on its trade policy, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale told US officials" (Source: Times of India, undated)
• X (formerly Twitter), Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa), "Almost two weeks have passed (since his meeting with Trump in White House), and during this time, when Russia should have been preparing for diplomacy, Moscow has given no positive signal Çô only carried out cynical strikes on civilian targets and killed dozens of our people" (Source: X, dated Monday, undated)
• X (formerly Twitter), Narendra Modi (@narendramodi), "We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction" (Source: X, dated Monday, undated)
• Indian Ministry of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, Elina Valtonen (Source: IEA, dated undated)