India’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Ajit Doval, is expected to travel to Moscow for discussions on a peaceful resolution of the war between Russia and Ukraine, sources have told CNN-News18, signifying India’s growing role as a mediator in ending the deadly conflict that erupted more than two-and-a-half years ago and has roiled the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the forefront of peace efforts, visiting both Ukraine and time-tested ally Russia over the past couple of months. During his visit to Russia in July, PM Modi reiterated his message to President Vladimir Putin that “this is not an era for war”. In August, he visited Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reaffirming India’s commitment to peace.
PM Modi also held a telephone conversation with President Putin on August 27. Sources have suggested that the two leaders discussed during this call that India will send its NSA to Moscow to discuss ideas to bring lasting peace to Ukraine. Nonetheless, it was not immediately clear when NSA Doval would visit Russia.
Significantly, President Putin has recently suggested that he is not against peace, and sees Brazil, China and India as possible mediators to end the conflict that erupted on September 24, 2022. This view was echoed by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who too endorsed India as a likely interlocutor, a testament to India’s growing influence on the global stage.
After his Russia and Ukraine visits, PM Modi also held a telephone cover with US President Joe Biden, discussing peace efforts in Ukraine.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul in the first weeks of the war, but those talks could not make a headway. On the ground, the situation remains bleak, with both sides ratcheting up the rhetoric and opening new fronts. Some estimates suggest that the war claimed 500,000 wounded or dead people, according to The New York Times (NYT).
The paper quoted US officials as saying that they believed Russian casualties had hit 300,000, including 120,000 dead, but Moscow was undercounting them. On the other hand, Ukrainian losses were seen at 70,000 killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded.
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