ANOTHER interesting layer has been added to the upcoming BRICS summit in India with open acknowledgement of New Delhi’s peace efforts to end the Ukraine conflict by the Kremlin. The Russian statement has come hours ahead of the proposed bilateral talks between Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and President of Russia Mr. Vladimir Putin on the margins of the BRICS meeting. That Moscow finds New Delhi’s position on ending the Ukraine conflict aligning closely with its own strategy tells that Russia is willing to give another chance to dialogue and diplomacy to end the long-stretched war. And with India taking the lead in reopening channels for a meaningful solution between the two nations in conflict, the BRICS summit might see a positive development on this front. Kremlin’s statement comes in the light of recent meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek and later a visit by External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv offering help to bring peace. Joining these dots gives a bigger picture unfolding in the coming days with a glimmer of hope of closing a tiring war.

 

India has remained a champion of resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue since the war broke out. In fact, Prime Minister Mr. Modi was the one who publicly told Mr. Putin that it was not an era of war. He reiterated India’s stated position last week in Bishkek during a meeting with the Russian President calling for immediate end to the conflict and urging the leader to move from “endless war towards end of war”. Parallely, there have been renewed international efforts to find a path towards resolving the conflict. The Trump administration has stepped up attempts to bring both Moscow and Kyiv on the negotiations table after a visit by a senior official to both the capitals. Amid these developments, Kremlin’s remarks welcoming the willingness of the Indian side to contribute and efforts of US President Mr. Donald Trump underscore Russia’s changing position on continuing the military conflict. Ahead of the BRICS summit, the issue is bound to be discussed at length by Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin after the groundwork prepared by their diplomatic channels. It is an opportunity for India to become the lead peacemaker in the process and bring the two sides to the table. The problem, however, is not about starting a dialogue.

 

It is about finding a common ground which has eluded the peace efforts since beginning. How India makes Mr. Putin see the benefits of ignoring soft issues will decide the fate of negotiations, if the process begins in the near future. This time, the signals coming from Moscow are very positive. There is a growing wariness in both countries over the unending war which has cost both Russia and Ukraine dearly. Despite its military might and economic strength, Russia has not been able to pummel Ukraine into submission. The US-Iran war has further provided a reality check for Moscow that a fight can be started in a jiffy but no one knows how and when to end it.

 

These realities must be weighing heavily on both Russia and Ukraine. Rising unease on the domestic front over the cost of the war without any stated gain is also a major factor in both the parties moving towards finding a solution through peaceful means. Dialogue and diplomacy are primed to forge the way ahead in the Russia-Ukraine war if not in the US-Iran conflict. Translating these signals into a concrete framework for negotiations on equal terms will be the real test for the peacemakers now. The international community has always looked up to India to take the lead as it shares warm relations with both Russia and Ukraine. PM Mr. Modi’s personal chemistry with President Mr. Putin is a great leverage for the international community to take ahead the renewed efforts for peace. The historic Indo-Soviet relations put India in a vantage position to keep the diplomatic channels open with Moscow. The bilateral ahead of BRICS meeting will present another dot in the chain.