Joe Biden visits Kyiv, but peace may need greater involvement of PM Modi and intervention of G20
US President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv is indeed an exercise in courage. Flying into a war-torn country is a testimony to his commitment to the cause of freedom. Of course, it was a well-kept secret by his administration; only a couple of journalists had accompanied him, and they were informed about the US President’s presence in the entourage quite late. Yet, his courage cannot be downplayed. But the big question is: would it result in a ceasefire of a war that will soon complete a year? The war has killed thousands of people, crippled supply chains all over the world, and severely dented the post-pandemic recovery. Nobody knows what the back channels are working on, but there is no let-up in Russian President Vladimir Putin's belligerent rhetoric. In his 105-minute speech to the members of both houses of Parliament and to military commanders and soldiers, he said, “I have already said many times that the people of Ukraine have become the hostage of the Kyiv regime and its Western overlords, who have effectively occupied this country in the political, military and economic sense... Today’s Ukrainian regime essentially serves not the national interests but those of third countries.” This may impress some warmongers in his country, but his assertions are contrary to facts. In fact, all his claims to justify the attack on Ukraine are fictitious, the biggest one being that Ukraine was perpetrating genocide. Of course, he never provided even a shred of evidence to substantiate his allegation. Putin had earlier said that he stood for the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of Ukraine. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a Jew.
Putin thought that Russian conquest of Ukraine would be easy, but the Ukrainians under Zelensky have given him a bloody nose. Accusing the Western elites of intending to transform “a local conflict into a phase of global confrontation,” Putin seems to be tilting towards a rabid form of ethno-religious nationalism. Western elites “distort historical facts, constantly attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of our country. Look at what they do with their own peoples: the destruction of the family, cultural and national identity, perversion, and the abuse of children are declared the norm… Anglican Church plans to consider the idea of a gender-neutral God... Millions of people in the West understand they are being led to a real spiritual catastrophe.” While some of his criticism of Western decadence is not untrue, it still doesn’t justify the attack on Ukraine. With no dip in Putin’s anti-West rhetoric, it would be too sanguine to expect a meaningful breakthrough by the leader of the Western world. Western nations would be well-advised to involve India-headed G20 for a greater role. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has good relations with Putin will surely help move towards a ceasefire.