India’s Rise as a Peacemaker
India is slowly but surely emerging as a peacemaker. Its role as mediator is steadily gaining recognition for ending the Ukraine war
India is a country of Buddha and Mahavir, a country that never attacked others for petty gains. The traditions of peace in India go back thousands of years. India has always believed in peace and peaceful coexistence.
Even after Independence, Nehru revived the spirit of Panchsheel — a spirit of coexistence and cooperation. Now this spirit is soaring high and the world is acknowledging it. In the ongoing Ukraine war, India is emerging as a mediator whom all can rely on. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest round of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron has once again underlined India’s growing role as a diplomatic bridge in the Russia-Ukraine war. At a time when US President Donald Trump is trying hard to become a mediator, New Delhi is quietly emerging as an alternative and credible channel for dialogue. India’s credibility stems from two unusual advantages. First, it has deep and historic ties with Moscow, which remain resilient even in the shadow of Western sanctions. Second, its strategic partnerships with Europe and the US, which have steadily expanded over the last decade. The convergence of these relationships places
India is in a rare position of being heard by both sides — Russia and the West. The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China only reinforced this impression. Vladimir Putin’s gestures of warmth towards PM Modi — ranging from public camaraderie to private consultations that stretched longer than planned — sent a signal to the West: Russia sees India as a trusted interlocutor.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s outreach to Modi days before the summit was a recognition that Kyiv too sees value in India’s neutral, non-aligned positioning. European leaders are beginning to act on this. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, recently noted that India’s role is “crucial” in nudging Moscow toward an end to its war of aggression. Macron’s discussions with Modi this week carried the same undertone: Paris, while firmly committed to Ukraine’s defence, sees New Delhi as a stabilising force. The war in Ukraine has become a marker of the balance of power in Europe and the credibility of NATO itself. Indeed, Moscow will not yield easily, and Kyiv, backed by Western military aid, shows no sign of capitulating.
But for India to succeed as a peacemaker, it must persuade Russia that compromise is not surrender, and also convince Ukraine that negotiating for peace is not weakness. In the larger good, the war must end, the sooner, the better for everyone. India will be lauded if it can sustain the momentum of dialogue. Whether this results in a breakthrough in Ukraine remains uncertain, but what is clear is that New Delhi’s influence is increasingly being sought in the search for global peace.
