Moscow, Jan 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is emerging as a possible bridge builder between Russia and Europe - a role which is now beginning to get more traction after Europe explores changing track with Moscow, a report has highlighted.
The Indian Prime Minister's position of unifying global opinion to favour talks among adversaries and discouraging military options, was spotlighted during the December visit to India of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a report in Moscow-based portal 'Geopolitika' highlighted.
During that visit, PM Modi told Putin that "India is not neutral - India has a position, and that position is for peace. We support every effort for peace, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with every initiative taken for peace."
It is evident that PM Modi's framing of a unanimous international position to resolve global conflicts, including Ukraine, reflects New Delhi's position of acting as a bridge nation across global fault lines, wrote strategic affairs expert Atul Aneja.
He spotlighted that soon after concluding a visit to India, where the Indian Prime Minister welcomed him warmly in his home state of Gujarat, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced his willingness to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"This was a dramatic turnaround. After harshly villainising Russia since he assumed office, Merz blared during a policy speech on January 16, three days after he left Indian shores, that a peace agreement in Ukraine 'just doesn't work without Russia's consent'," the 'Geopolitika' report detailed.
"Further amplifying the groundbreaking shift - from seeking Moscow's isolation and worse to studied engagement - Merz declared at a recent economic conference that the EU should 'find a balance again with our largest European neighbour'. He added that 'if there is peace ...then we can look ahead with great confidence beyond the year 2026'," the article added.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also given signs of reading from the same playbook with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni too amplifying the chorus echoing from Europe.
During Chancellor Merz's India visit, Prime Minister Modi had explicitly called for forging an international consensus in support of peace talks.
"It is apparent that PM Modi's call for global consensus for a dialogue during Merz's visit was a way of bridging European and Asian perspectives. This thematic line is expected to be majorly amplified as India expands its engagement with the Europeans in the coming months. This outreach comes at a time when India is seeking a deeper connection with Europe to help counter Trump's pressure on Modi to sign on an unequal trade deal," wrote Aneja.
With EU leaders arriving in India as chief guests for the forthcoming Republic Day celebrations and French President Emmanuel Macron scheduled to visit New Delhi for the India-AI Impact Summit - the first global AI in the Global South - PM Modi, the international bridge builder, is expected to leverage the growing sentiment in Europe to dialogue with Russia on Ukraine, possibly on a new institutional platform.
'Geopolitika' elaborated that PM Modi's strategic intent that India should become a bridge between the East and the West as well as the Global North and Global South is now emerging ever-more sharply.
"In the Indian Prime Minister's worldview, India is a pole in a multipolar world, and therefore is entitled to dialogue with other poles of the international system, including Russia to resolve global problems," it concluded.
- IANS
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