Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday that India did not want to take a hostile stand against Russia in the Ukraine war as “pragmatic politics” was involved, but New Delhi could tell the Russians where it stands. Narendra Modi Gave a “clear message” with his “not an era of war” comment.
Tharoor also predicted a “gradual deterioration” of India’s relations with Russia for pragmatic reasons, pointing out that Moscow is becoming more and more dependent on China.
“How useful for India, over time, is a friend and partner who is more dependent on your principal adversary. China has already killed 20 of our soldiers on the borders two years ago. We cannot forget it so soon,” he said during a session of the Raisina Dialogue here.
Under these circumstances, a Russia that is dependent on China or looks more like a junior partner to China is probably of little use to India than Russia that started this war, former foreign state during Raisina Dialogue The Minister said in a session titled ‘Eastern Promise: The Power Shifts in EU Politics’.
Asked about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks last year that Europe thinks its problems are the world’s, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems, Tharoor said those comments are widely heard in India and many other countries. was supported.
“It is very interesting that at the start of the Raisina talks this year Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded specifically to those comments. If there is a violation it is not just Europe’s problem and secondly because of the impact of the war Europe’s problems have become world problems,” Tharoor recalled.
“For all of us to pretend that this is something we can just ignore is not an option,” the Lok Sabha MP said. quantitative method.
He said, “What Jaishankar was pointing to was a slightly different aspect… When India’s border is violated, whether by our friends from the north in China or terrorists coming across the border from Pakistan, Europe behaves like this. Acts like it is India’s problem. “There has been no great solidarity expressed. But when a European border is breached, it is expected that the rest of the world should be concerned. I think it was his (Jaishankar’s) concern. I should not speak for them. I am in opposition.
In June last year, at an event in Slovakia, Jaishankar strongly criticized the “European mindset”. He said Europe had to “get out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems”.
When asked whether the Russia-Ukraine war is a local war, Tharoor said that it is and it is not that good.
“It’s local in the literal sense because the casualty destruction is in one place – Ukraine … but the rest of the world, if not physically affected, has been affected in all these measurable ways,” he said. Ultimately, any war that is global Tharoor stressed that the consequences cannot be treated as a purely European problem.
Asked by the moderator of the session whether the war would affect India’s long-standing relationship with Russia, Tharoor said, “I was the only MP to actually speak against the Indian position in Parliament because I felt that We have let many people down.” The principles we have always stood for since independence, especially in our first few statements at the United Nations. Take a Stand Against Russia? I would say there was some practical politics involved.”
The Congress leader said India had a long relationship with Russia and earlier with the Soviet Union, which was a strong supporter of India on issues like Kashmir in the UN Security Council.
“The Russians have often protected us against actions by hostile powers… a defense relationship. You don’t spoil your relationship with a supplier of such essentials. So it’s a relationship with something concrete that India can take a completely hostile approach to.” Didn’t want to dismiss lightly by adopting, that much I can understand.
“But I believe we could have told the Russians where we stood and it was interesting that finally Prime Minister Modi in Samarkand, directly in front of the cameras of the world, said ‘this is not an era of war, Mr President’, Which is clear as a message,” Tharoor said.
He said that India is pushing for a solution in its own way.
Tharoor also said that the longer this war goes on, the less the ability of Russia to be a reliable supplier of defense equipment etc.
“There are clear indications that India does not want to be seen taking sides against Russia, but neither is it in any way expressing support or condoning the war. It is accepting it as reality,” he said.
India has stayed away from UN resolutions on Ukraine and has consistently underlined the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
India has also consistently underlined that the entire Global South has suffered “substantial collateral damage” in the conflict and that developing countries are bearing the brunt of the conflict’s consequences on food, fuel and fertilizer supplies.
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