Moscow: In a big win for India, Russia has decided to discharge and facilitate the return of all Indian nationals working in the Russian Army after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin. India was expected to strongly raise the issue of Indians recruited into the Russia-Ukraine conflict after the death of two people, seeking their expeditious discharge.
India was expected to strongly raise the issue of Indian nationals recruited into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, seeking their expeditious discharge. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar strongly raised the matter with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on July 4.
Indian nationals duped to join Russian Army
It is pertinent to note that the Ministry of External Affairs in June said two Indian nationals who had been recruited by the Russian Army were killed in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. India has taken up the matter of early release and return of all Indian nationals who are with the Russian Army.
"Several Indians have been pressed into services with the Russian Army, only when they come back we will know the full circumstances. But, whatever the circumstances are, to us it is unacceptable that Indian citizens find themselves in the army of another country in a warzone," Jaishankar told news agency ANI in an interview, adding that India is in touch with the Russian Defence Ministry over the matter.
The MEA confirmed in April, that among the Indian nationals who were working as support staff in the Russian Army, 10 have returned to India. As many as 20 others were allegedly duped into fighting for the Russian Army in the war against Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs.
Putin holds informal talks with PM Modi
Meanwhile, Putin and PM Modi held informal talks at the Russian President's official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, where the latter congratulated the Indian leader on his re-election and attributing it to Modi's longstanding dedication and effective governance. Putin highlighted Modi's energetic leadership, innovative ideas, and ability to deliver results beneficial to India and its people.
“I would like to congratulate you on your reelection as prime minister. I think this is not an accident, but the result of your work over many years,” Putin told PM Modi as they held an informal meeting in a residence outside Moscow. "You have your own ideas. You are a very energetic person, able to achieve results in the interests of India and the Indian people... The result is obvious."
The two leaders will hold official talks on Tuesday, with the economic agenda, including issues of energy and trade, along with the peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to be the main focus of the interaction, sources told TASS news agency. "The focus of the visit is on the economic agenda, including issues of energy, trade, production, and fertilisers, as well as on the settlement [of the conflict in Ukraine], which cannot be reached on the battlefield," the sources said.
The annual summit between the prime minister of India and the president of Russia is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries. So far, 21 annual summits have taken place alternately in India and Russia. The last annual summit was held on December 6, 2021, in New Delhi when Putin visited India.
US reacts on India's Ukraine stance
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, PM Modi has held several telephonic conversations with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressing the importance of ending the war that has impacted the global economy. In reflection of its strong friendship with Russia, India has not yet condemned Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the conflict must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
In the talks with Putin on Tuesday, PM Modi will likely express that "a solution can't be found on the battlefield" regarding the ongoing Ukraine conflict, sources indicate. This stance aligns with India's long-standing viewpoint, emphasising diplomatic resolutions over military engagements.
Meanwhile, the United States on Monday appealed to India to make it clear to Russia that any resolution to the Ukraine conflict will need to respect Kyiv's territorial integrity as stipulated in the UN Charter for all member countries. "We would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN Charter, that respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Ukraine’s sovereignty," said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
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