Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready for talks with Ukraine, asserting that India, China, and Brazil could act as mediators in potential peace dialogues.
Vladimir Putin said a preliminary agreement reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the first weeks of the war at talks in Istanbul, which was never implemented, could serve as the basis for talks.
Putin’s statement comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow followed by his recent Ukraine visit, the first by any Indian PM in decades.
Separately, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Izvestia daily that India could help in establishing a dialogue on Ukraine.
Year 2022, the world saw Russia invading Ukraine with an aim to dislodge the Volodymyr Zelenskyy government within weeks, if not days. But the conflict has dragged on for nearly three years now, leading to almost 5 lakh casualties of troops from both sides.
On the other hand, in October last year, Iran-backed Hamas militant group, controlling Gaza, launched an unprovoked and vicious surprise attack on Israel. At least 250 citizens were killed in the unprecedented attack. This led to retaliatory attacks from Israel. In the last three months, over 20,000 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip.
Israel is fighting the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and exchanging fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, both funded by Iran.
Even as the Israel-Hamas war has been raging, Houthi rebels supported by Iran, acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza attacks, launched drone attacks on merchant ships sailing on the Red Sea. This led to the US and allies carrying out airstrikes for the first time in Yemen, aimed at Houthi positions.
Tehran wants to show that the Gaza war could be too costly for the West if it drags on. Should the US and Iran engage in military conflict, Iran could attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which 30 percent of the world’s oil flows, which would raise oil prices globally.
Shipping costs and oil prices have already started seeing a rise, with the Houthis, who control much of Yemen, promising to inflict more damage until more aid enters the Gaza Strip, where Israeli bombardment has killed over 20,000 people.
Disruption to two major trade routes, Russia-Ukraine, along with Iran will harm India and the world's interests.
Since India has good relations with Iran, Israel, the US and Russia, it should aim at brokering peace with all the warring groups and prevail upon them to stop the mindless violence. It is not going to help anybody. Rather, the sufferings of common people will only compound.
Russia is showing interest in having peace in the region as some of its closest allies, like India, are showing their support to Ukraine’s cause as well. It certainly doesn’t want to lose its friends, which are already very few in numbers.
Similar is the condition with both Iran and Israel. Both are engaged in a proxy battle since last October and just like the Ukraine-Russia war, it is the common people of Palestine and Israel who are suffering in this protracted bloody conflict.
War has never solved any problem, rather it has sown seeds for another cycle of conflict. The Pakistan-India conflict is the best example of this. Every time Pakistan has initiated conflict against India, has lost each one of them and yet starts a new one, with an aim to secure victory against India at least once.
That is why it is said that there is no alternative to peace. India, which has believed in non-violence and has never invaded any country, can play the perfect role of ambassador for peace. The time is ripe for India to play a larger role in world politics by becoming the peacemaker and stake a claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Question is will India take the initiative and will the warring parties listen to India?