Russia-Ukraine war and the value of the tricolour!

The meaning of the saying in Sanskrit means ‘War stories are always entertaining:’ They are now being felt by listeners and readers all over the world. The Russia-Ukraine war is currently being debated around the world as to whether it is a prelude to a possible Third World War. India’s neutral foreign policy in the war and the ongoing ‘Operation Ganga’ for the protection of students in Ukraine are being discussed all over India. This writing proposes to give a brief analysis of these two issues …

1. India’s Neutrality and ‘Operation Ganga’

In the early stages of the Russia-Ukraine war, diplomats from all over the world were discussing who the other countries of the world sided with and what role India would play. While the Euro-American nations were sympathetic to Ukraine, India, without voting for Russia or Ukraine, remained neutral and said that the issue should be brought up for discussion at the United Nations. As a result, British and American newspapers launched ideological attacks on India. An atmosphere was being created around the world that India’s foreign policy was brutal but the Indian Government has not backed down from its policy. The main reason for this is Indian students and citizens living in Russia and Ukraine !

More than one lakh Indians and Indian students now reside in Russia and Ukraine for education or employment. Taking the side of any one country in the war was tantamount to making the Indian citizens there insecure. India took a neutral stance and established dialogue with the heads of both Russia and Ukraine, only to allow Indians in Ukraine to safely cross the borders of Poland, Belarus and Romania. Russia has announced that it will not launch military strikes on people and vehicles carrying the Indian tricolour. Ukraine announced that the borders of Poland, Belarus and Romania would be cleared for Indians. Four full-time Indian Union Ministers are in Poland and Romania to address the issue of migration of Indians and students crossing the international border to India. The students are being sent to India through ‘Operation Ganga’ after resolving all the issues of international law. Russia spent 1500 billion a day on the war, but Russia gave Indian students six hours to get out safely before capturing Kharkiv. Today, the US-China-European nations are siding with Russia or Ukraine only for economic gains. Millions of citizens of American and European descent are still stranded in Ukraine today but no one cares about their lives. On the other hand, as Indian culture attaches more importance to the concept of ‘life’ than to the concept of ‘money’. The pragmatism shown by India is putting new ideals before the world. The increased value of the Indian tricolour is being felt all over the world. Vehicles with Indian tricolour are safely leaving Ukraine. Citizens of Pakistan and Turkey, who remain staunch opponents of India, are also migrating from Ukraine under the guise of the Indian tricolour, which is unprecedented.

2. Denying direct support to Ukraine is practically justified !

Foreign policy is not based on emotions, it is practical. The friendship between the two countries is determined by having economic and strategic interests. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs had already done its homework on how many times Ukraine, which has a wave of worldwide sympathy for Russia’s invasion, helped India. When the 370 issue of Kashmir came up in the UN, Ukraine voted against India. Even when India conducted a nuclear test, Ukraine voted against India at the United Nations. Ukraine had also voiced opposition when it came to granting permanent membership to India in the UN Security Council. Ukraine supplies arms to Pakistan, India’s traditional enemy. When India needed uranium for nuclear power, Ukraine, which has uranium reserves, refused. So, in practice, it was right not to side with Ukraine.

3. Return of gratitude to Russia

After India’s independence, Russia remained India’s traditional ally, even Ukraine was not born at the time. The ‘Slavs’ are the same civil race in Russia and Ukraine. Sanskrit words are predominant in Slavic civil languages. Russia had supported India in its wars against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, by using its veto power in the UN Security Council. ‘Brahmos’ is a powerful missile made in India, the only reason is Russia’s love for India ! Ukraine is basically part of Russia. The language and culture are Russian. In that case, if Ukraine were to go against Russia and pursue NATO at the behest of the United States, it would be a betrayal of the motherland. Ukraine is a buffer state between the borders of NATO countries and Russia. At such a time, if Ukraine joins NATO, Russia’s rival, the United States, will reach Russia’s borders under the NATO option, at which point Russia’s decision to go to war is a matter of self-defence. Swatantryaveer Savarkar had said that aggression is the best way of self-defence. India has gratefully repaid Russia’s pre-existing assistance without taking an anti-Russian stance at present. Time will tell whether India’s foreign policy will be pro-Russia or pro-China or not when World War III breaks out.

-Mr. Chetan Rajhans, Spokesperson, Sanatan Sanstha