INDIA’S DECISION TO REOPEN EMBASSY IN KYIV A MESSAGE TO WEST

wanted New Delhi to join them to condemn Russia,” an official said. India’s move to be diplomatically active in Kyiv once again is a message to the Quad countries and the entire West that New Delhi has always been on the side of the peace and “it has taken the right stance at the right time”. “Peace and normalcy are what India is focused on, and reopening of its embassy in Kyiv signifies this policy of New Delhi,” a diplomat said. “It should not also be interpreted as a gesture against Russia,” he added.

Sources said that the American diplomats are slowly returning to Ukraine and they are still based in Poland. They are making trips to Ukraine briefly in daytime and returning after spending some time there, sources added. “While some of the European countries’ missions are back in Kyiv, they are yet to make their presence felt,” a source told this newspaper. “Their ambassadors are not regular in the embassies, with diplomatic activities reduced to dealing with some files and that’s all,” said officials.

According to sources, the Indian embassy has clear instructions from the top leadership that it has to start coordinating with the government, diplomats and other officials in Ukraine from day one so as to boost ties between New Delhi and Kyiv. “Indian diplomats are supposed to be actively coordinating with other countries’ missions to ensure that humanitarian issues are addressed in the war-torn zone. This is something that reaffirms what PM Modi has been pitching for,” diplomats said.

While calling for an immediate halt to war and violence in Ukraine, PM Modi has always given importance to the safety and security of common people living in the strifetorn region. Under his guidance and supervision, India reached out to people in Ukraine with humanitarian assistance and medicine, a step that was admired by US President Joe Biden, UK PM Boris Johnson, the European Union and the United Nations. “Again, PM Modi’s focus is on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the Indian embassy has its task cut out for the same as it starts its operations in Kyiv once again,” sources said. The feedback from Ukraine suggests that the people in Kyiv and other war-hit areas of the country have hailed New Delhi’s decision to reopen the embassy. “This is a testimony to India’s right approach amid the violence in Ukraine despite the West’s pressure on it to take one side or the other,” an official pointed out.

Highly-placed sources told The Sunday Guardian that PM Modi is planning to establish telephonic contact with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders once again in a bid to motivate them to resolve the problem through diplomacy and dialogue. The Indian embassies to Ukraine and Russia would work to facilitate this high-level communication in future, sources added. PM Modi is expected to be more active to ensure that the hostilities between Kyiv and Moscow come to an end as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, India’s announcement is significant as it comes days after the 9 May Victory Day speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who did not announce any fresh escalation of the special military operation in his speech.