India's Quest for Status and Neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine War: BRICS, a Case Study
| Published date | 01 March 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00207020231221831 |
| Author | Raj Verma |
| Date | 01 March 2024 |
India’s Quest for Status
and Neutrality in the
Russia-Ukraine War:
BRICS, a Case Study
Raj Verma
Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Abstract
Employing BRICS as a case study, this paper argues that India’sneutralityinthe
Russia-Ukraine war is not influenced by its quest for status via BRICS because a
souring of the India-Russia bilateral relationship will not affect India’s quest for
status through the BRICS. First, India and Russia have joined and co-developed
BRICS to achieve their national and foreign policy goals such as great power sta-
tus, challenging US hegemony and achieving a multipolar world order, reform of
the liberal international order and Bretton Woods institutions and other objec-
tives. Both countries have much to lose by allowing their problematic bilateral
relationship to adversely impact the BRICS. Second, the BRICS is structured in
such a way that its operating procedures/principles including consensus-based
decision making and intentionally omitting controversial issues implies that bilat-
eral problems between member states are not tabled and they do not make the
group dysfunctional.
Keywords
India-China, Russia-Ukraine war, US-European union, BRICS-SCO-IBSA, global
South-liberal international order-Bretton wood system/institutions
Corresponding author:
Raj Verma, Shanghai International Studies University, Songjiang Campus, 1550 Wenxiang Road, Shanghai,
201613, China.
Email: rajneeshverma2000@gmail.com
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2024, Vol. 79(1) 61–78
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/00207020231221831
journals.sagepub.com/home/ijx
On 24 February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. The West, led by the US, has imposed a
vast tranche of sanctions to coerce Russia to stop the war by crippling its war-making
capabilities. According to French finance minister Bruno Le Maire, the aim of the sanc-
tions is to “cause the collapse of the Russian economy.”
1
As the war has continued, the
US and its allies have introduced resolutions in the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC), United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), and other organizations to condemn the Russian invasion of
Ukraine. The US and its allies also called upon the developing world to condemn
Moscow for invading Ukraine.
India has adopted a policy of “neutrality”towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
New Delhi has neither condemned (nor condoned) Moscow for invading Ukraine, and
it has not publicly identified Moscow as the instigator of the crisis. The Modi admin-
istration has not criticized Russia for invading Ukraine in international fora such as the
UNSC, UNGA, and IAEA. The UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International, and other organizations have blamed Russian forces for war
crimes and crimes against humanity such as torture, enforced disappearances, rape,
summary executions, and other unlawful killings in Bucha and other towns and
cities in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.
2
India has condemned the
atrocities in Bucha and other parts of Ukraine, but it has stopped short of blaming
Moscow specifically, and has instead called for an independent investigation.
3
As part of its “neutral”strategy, New Delhi has called Moscow and Kiev to restore
peace and end the war and human suffering through diplomatic means. In his phone
calls with both President Vladimir Putin and President Volodmyr Zelensky, Prime
Minister Nagendra Modi has called for restoring peace and for direct talks between
Moscow and Kyiv to end the war through “dialogue and diplomacy,”and he has
expressed concerns regarding the humanitarian crisis and suffering in Ukraine.
4
India’s statements in the UNGA and in the UNSC have also repeatedly called for an
1. Elliot Smith, “The West is trying to destroy Russia’s economy. And analysts think it could succeed,”
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may-destroy-russias-economy.html (accessed 1 April 2023).
2. Raj Verma, “Multi-alignment and India’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war,”International Politics,
15 July 2023 [online-first], https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-023-00480-6.
3. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar’s statement during
reply on discussion under Rule 193 on the situation in Ukraine in the Parliament,”6 April 2022,
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the Russian Federation,”24February 2022, https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/34898/Phone_call_
between_Prime_Minister_Shri_Narendra_Modi_and_H_E_Vladimir_Putin_President_of_the_Russian_
Federation (accessed 1 April 2023); MEA, “Prime Minister speaks to His Excellency President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy of Ukraine,”26 February 2022, https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/34902/Prime_
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April 2023).
62 International Journal 79(1)
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