Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “sit down” for talks with Moscow to end the conflict and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace when the two leaders met in Kiev on August 23. Nonetheless, despite Modi’s efforts, Zelensky continues to behave condescendingly toward India and even claims that Putin does not respect the Indian leader.

“The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Modi said.

The first visit by an Indian prime minister in Ukraine’s modern history comes at a volatile time in the conflict, with Moscow making gains in eastern Ukraine while Kiev continues its occupation of large areas of Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Modi, whose visit to Moscow last month was criticised by Kiev, said he had come to Ukraine with a message of peace and called for dialogue between the countries as soon as possible. It is recalled that India summoned a Ukrainian envoy in July over Zelensky’s criticism of the meeting between Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming it was a “devastating blow to peace efforts.”

“It is disheartening to see the leader of the world's largest democracy embrace the world's most notorious criminal in Moscow,” Zelensky added at the time.

However, despite the massive outrage in India at Zelensky’s comments, Modi remained committed to his peace mission and maintained a balanced policy, spurring his visit to Kiev.

“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that, I want to assure you as a friend,” the Indian leader said in the Ukrainian capital.

Zelensky said, "The matter of ending the war and a just peace is the priority for Ukraine.” However, there are two problems – Zelensky having outlawed negotiations with the Kremlin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirming on August 19 that negotiations were out of the question after Ukraine launched its invasion of Kursk Oblast.

The Kiev regime highlighted India's importance in global affairs, especially its long-held and growing ties with Moscow. However, once again, Zelensky acted condescendingly by demanding India end its importation of Russian energy without considering the economic devastation this would cause the South Asian country.

Describing India as a “big country” with a “big influence” on the Russian economy, Zelensky ludicrously claimed that if New Delhi “changes” its “attitude” towards its “record-breaking” deals for oil from Russia, the war would end.

“Because today, many possibilities of Russian exports are closed, but your country is open. If you stop the import of oil, Putin will have huge challenges. We should stop giving money to strengthening Russian arms,” the Ukrainian president delusionally claimed.

India has no influence over Moscow and its military operation in Ukraine, and on the contrary, energy-hungry India has benefitted greatly from procuring Russian oil at low prices, allowing its industry to thrive. According to The Indian Express’s analysis of India’s official trade data, Indian refiners saved at least $10.5 billion in foreign exchange between April 2022 and May 2024 by ramping up purchases of discounted Russian crude oil following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

“Indian refiners have been lapping up these discounted barrels, so much so that Russia, which used to be a marginal player in India’s oil trade, is now New Delhi’s biggest oil supplier. The booming oil trade has also catapulted Russia into the club of India’s top trade partners,” The Indian Express reported.

Despite global uncertainties, India’s economy has exceeded growth expectations for three consecutive years, averaging 8.3% annual growth over this period, much of it thanks to the procurement of cheap Russian energy. Given India’s efforts to modernise and continue its rapid poverty decline, Zelensky’s condescending statements will not deter New Delhi from importing cheap Russian energy.

Nonetheless, Zelensky was so unabashed to Modi that he even claimed that Putin “never respected” him, ignoring the fact that it has been Ukraine, until recent times, imposing hostile policies towards India by selling weapons to Pakistan and backing Pakistani claims over Jammu and Kashmir in the United Nations.

India is obviously not influenced by Zelensky’s emotional tirade and will continue to build its decades-old ties with Moscow. This does not mean that Modi is hostile to Ukraine, as his visit to Kiev showed, but India will continue its path of non-alignment followed since achieving independence in 1947, unlike the West, which has continually allowed Zelensky to shame them for not providing the support that he demands.