Strategic choice india is right not to pick a side on ukraine

Strategic choice india is right not to pick a side on ukraine

It appears that India is under some pressure from the US to take a clear stand on the Ukraine crisis. Hitherto New Delhi has rightly maintained a fine balance, sticking to its stated position in the UN that called for defusing tensions over Ukraine through dialogue. India can’t ignore the history of its bilateral ties with Russia and the deep defence linkages between the two sides. So, what to make of America’s implied argument that India view the Russia-Ukraine matter the same way it views China’s expansionist designs in Asia.

There is obviously a qualitative difference between the two issues for India. While China is an immediate threat for India given geopolitical realities, Ukraine doesn’t fall into the same strategic calculus. This doesn’t mean that Ukraine doesn’t matter. But every country has the prerogative of strategic prioritisation. Remember that America had little time for India’s position on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism when Pakistan was an American strategic priority. Also, China today presents the biggest systemic threat to the international order. Countries from the UK to Vietnam and from Mongolia to Australia, are coming to the conclusion that Beijing’s actions are threatening global stability. It’s within this framework that the Quad was created as a platform to reinforce the rules-based order.

Russia, meanwhile, simply doesn’t pose the same challenges. True, Moscow and Beijing today have a strategic and economic compact. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t points of bilateral tension. From their own border issues and China eyeing Russia’s Far East region for energy resources to Beijing’s increasing influence in Central Asia, traditionally Moscow’s strategic domain, several fault lines remain beneath the surface. Therefore, tactically, the US should consider creating space between Russia and China, nullifying their combined threat. At the end of the day, principles alone don’t make for strategic choices, aligning interests do. On China, India and US interests align.