UK, India call for Ukraine peace
Johnson and Modi set target for wrapping up talks on free trade agreement
India and the United Kingdom called on April 22 for a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict with more dialogue, and expect closer business and defense trade cooperation after a visit by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he and Johnson discussed the situation in Ukraine during a meeting in New Delhi and underscored the importance of diplomacy and dialogue.
“We’re on the side of peace,” Modi was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
At the end of Johnson’s April 21-22 visit, the two prime ministers set a target for concluding the “majority of talks on a comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement by the end of October”, according to a joint statement issued after their talks.
India welcomed Britain’s commitment to investing about $1 billion in climate-related projects between this year and 2026.
Gulshan Sachdeva, professor of European studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said Britain’s commitment will strengthen bilateral relations, which could potentially reduce India’s share of Russian imports in the future.
However, it has to be the United Kingdom’s long-term strategy to get India closer to the West and further away from Russia.
At a news briefing on April 22, Johnson said collaboration between the two countries on energy security, including solar and offshore wind power, will help reduce dependence on imported hydrocarbons.
Johnson arrived in India against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and domestic heat on him for breaking pandemic control rules during lockdowns he initiated. India has called for a cease-fire in Ukraine, but has abstained from resolutions condemning Russia despite constant pressure from the United States and its Western allies.
Official estimates project that the upcoming free trade deal will double bilateral trade volume by 2030, which the Indian business community widely welcomes.
India wants to diversify its imports, including defense procurement, and the British PM’s visit can also help the nation secure foreign direct investment to upgrade its defense preparedness, said Sanjay Rao Ayde, head of the political science department of St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi.
India has long-standing defense ties to Russia, and up to 60 percent of India’s current military equipment was procured from Russia. India is a large consumer of oil, of which 80 percent is imported. Despite warnings from the US in March, state-run Indian Oil Corporation bought 3 million barrels of discounted Russian crude oil.
Sachdeva said India is keen to send a message to the West that India is not to be forced into changing its stand toward Russia, which explains UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’s frustration when she asked India to reduce its strategic dependence on Russia during a visit in March.
Johnson avoided such embarrassment, describing Modi as his khas dost, or “special friend”, in Hindi, and acknowledging India’s “historic relationship” with Russia going back to the 1990s.
“They’re not going to change that,” Johnson was quoted by The Economic Times as saying. “What Indians want is peace.”
Asked about the meeting, India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said “there was no pressure involved” during discussions on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson put forward his views on the Ukraine issue from his perspective,” the Economic Times quoted Shringla as saying.
Johnson reportedly avoided the use of a Russian-built helicopter on his trip to Gujarat state on the first day of his visit. A US-built 30-seater Chinook had to be brought in from the Indian Air Force base at Chandigarh to take Johnson on the 20-minute flight from Gujarat’s state capital to a construction equipment factory.