The public sentiment towards India's involvement in the Ukraine conflict is mixed, characterized by national pride and support for India's strategic autonomy in foreign affairs while expressing skepticism towards both Western and Ukrainian narratives. Many commenters commend India's oil purchases from Russia as a means of preserving national interests, while also critiquing the hypocrisy of Western nations. However, there are notable concerns regarding India's ability to mediate effectively and skepticism over the geopolitical implications of its relationships.

India

Western Countries

Ukraine

SS:

India is committed to strengthening ties with Ukraine, while calling for a peaceful resolution to its war with Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X on Monday after a conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

“India remains committed to making every possible contribution in this regard, as well as to further strengthening bilateral ties with Ukraine,” Modi said.

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Ironically, before the current showdown with US, Modi would have been one of the best mediators in the conflict having good rapport with both the sides.

kishaloy

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1954893314240483824

18Lama

It’s a bit odd to call for peaceful settlement without calling for the aggressor to cease its invasion. He seems to make the mistake of thinking being occupied and oppressed is peaceful.

SuperannuationLawyer

This has been happening since the start of the war, why bring it up now ? 

Also this is strangely coincided with recent rosy news about US - Pakistan relationship. Pakistan seems to know how to play between the 2 powers US and China very well. Hell, maybe India should also nominate Trump for Nobel Prize as well.

ImperiumRome

There is no carrot, only threats, based on a flawed understanding of India's position  
\- assuming Trump wants to have an understanding.

India was buying Russian oil not out of support for Russia, but because there was no alternative. India's requirements were met from the Middle East, until Iran was sanctioned by the US (when it was JCPOA compliant), followed by Venezuela. Other OPEC countries did not increase output. A lot of crude oil imported by India is refined and sold to Europe, so that the EU can maintain the facade of its sanctions compliance.  
All that a ban on Russian energy exports will do is make China even more competitive, hurt the world economy and make no difference to Russia. It's easier to hurt Russian oil revenues by lifting sanctions on Iran and Venezuela. Perhaps the Arab world will be more inclined to increase oil output, if the US alters its unconditional support for current Israeli policy.

Dean_46

**Submission Statement**

A top aide to President Donald Trump has publicly accused India of financing Russia's war in Ukraine through its continued purchase of Russian oil, marking one of the strongest rebukes yet by the Trump administration toward a key Indo-Pacific partner. Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, said it is "not acceptable" for India to maintain such trade ties amid the ongoing conflict, emphasizing that India's oil imports from Russia are nearly on par with China’s. Despite U.S. pressure, Indian officials indicate they will continue these purchases.

donutloop

India’s increased Russian oil purchases reflect market economics more than geopolitics.  
With sanctions reshaping supply chains, discounted Russian crude became a logical choice for a large, energy‑hungry economy. Framing this as “financing the war” overlooks that Europe continued Russian energy imports well into 2023. India’s approach follows strategic autonomy diversifying partners while safeguarding national interests. For a policy shift, credible and cost‑competitive alternatives from the West are essential.

LEAWatchNews

Miller's accusation against India reveals the fundamental tension in Trump's approach to alliance management versus economic pressure tactics. By publicly equating India with China in Russian oil purchases, the administration is essentially treating a strategic Indo-Pacific partner like a competitor - a risky gambit.

This represents a significant escalation from previous diplomatic approaches. The Biden administration, while expressing concerns about Indian oil purchases, never publicly accused New Delhi of "financing" the war. Miller's language suggests the Trump team is willing to risk damaging the Quad partnership and broader Indo-Pacific strategy to achieve leverage on Russia.

India's position has been consistent since 2022: energy security trumps geopolitical alignment, especially when Western alternatives are more expensive. Indian government sources have already indicated they'll continue purchasing despite US threats. This creates a classic prisoner's dilemma where the US must choose between maintaining strategic partnerships and pursuing maximum pressure on Russia.

The timing is particularly interesting - this comes as India faces its own border tensions with China and has been increasingly valuable to US containment strategy. By pushing India toward a binary choice between US alignment and economic pragmatism, Trump risks driving New Delhi further into the BRICS framework, potentially achieving the opposite of the intended effect.

The real test will be whether this is genuine policy or negotiating theater. If it's the latter, we should expect more measured follow-up statements. If it's the former, it represents a fundamental shift in how Washington prioritizes Ukraine support versus Indo-Pacific strategy.

DonGiulio2

He is not wrong though. India has believed they can stay out of this with Modi once in a while telling Putin "this is not the time for war" while buying bln of russian oil.

farligjakt

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GeoIndModBot

Happymon Jacob is a credible journalist who writes articles on foreign affairs regularly for Hindustan Times. 

That said, it was evident that Russia is going to slide with China considering China is supplying them all critical weapons sub systems and machinery. 

India should have played the long game of partnering with like minded democracy in West instead of staying neutral when the Russia Ukraine war dragged on for years. 

I have most of the times said positive things about our foreign policy approach but this time its clear that we failed. It feels like we are back at ground zero ie 2014. We have achieved nothing substantial and have improved strategic relations with no country. Instead we lost Russia to China.

AIM-120-AMRAAM

Sounds like we're up shit creek without a paddle. ::smh::

telephonecompany

Russia definitely prioritises China over India and therefore is not going to be helping India to the extent it did during the Cold War.

Dogaseven70

#  China US East West vs Russia India North South 

1. TRADE - Nobody knows better strategic counter balancing than Russia. Russia might tilt based on the geopolitical shift but Russia will avoid overdependence on China. India needs the natural resources of Russia and Russia needs the technology and human resources of India. Therefore it becomes very important for Russia to maintain strong ties with India to counter China. 


2. DIPLOMACY - India plays a pivotal role between Russia and Europe. We saw how europe purchased refined petrol from India. Plus China has a vested interest with Europe through BRI. And Russia always wants to be a buffer between China and Europe. Russia relies on India more than China when it comes to backdoor diplomacy with Europe.


3. SECURITY - Russia and India already have a strong defence industrial cooperation. But Russia is also cooperating with India on creating new trade under Russia India security via the Mediterranean and Pacific to access ASEAN and Middle East bypassing South China and US Suez blockade.

Russia India has already derived the new strategic cooperation for new world order during the Ukraine war. Post Ukraine we will see large scale implementation and trade. The only caveat is the West will not let Russia out of this war easily.

BlueAlpha29

Tldr : china gets to what it wants because it has leverage because it is manufacturing power house where had India has zero leverage globally

play3xxx1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reaffirming India's commitment to achieving a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

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