The envoys of Britain, France and Germany in India have publicly denounced Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, putting New Delhi in an awkward position ahead of the Russian president’s impending visit.
Mr Putin lands on Thursday for a two-day visit during which he is expected to pitch increased sales of Russian oil, missile systems and fighter jets to its South Asian ally.
It’s his first visit to one of Moscow’s key traditional allies since the Ukraine war began in early 2022.
Addressing the trip in a joint op-ed for the Times of India paper, UK high commissioner Lindy Cameron, French ambassador Thierry Mathou and German ambassador Philipp Ackermann accused Russia of escalating the Ukraine war even while peace talks were underway.
Nearly two dozen of the “largest air attacks of the entire war in Ukraine” had come since the peace talks began, they claimed.
“These are not the actions of someone that’s serious about peace. Neither are these indiscriminate attacks mere accidents,” they wrote, “they are a systematic choice by Russia to wage its war of aggression with absolute ruthlessness. And it must end.”
Mr Putin, the European diplomats argued, was “the one leader who could end the war any time he so wishes”.
They accused Russia of contributing to global instability and making incursions into European airspace, sparking concern in Nato countries.
In the wake of drone sightings near sensitive facilities, such as airports, in multiple European nations in recent months, a senior Nato military official warned that the alliance was considering “pre-emptive” action against Russia.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of the Nato Military Committee, accused Russia of conducting a campaign of drone incursions and cyber attacks in Europe and said the alliance, led by the US, could adopt a more “aggressive” approach to deter the “hybrid attacks”.
Financial Times reported recently that Nato had been put on high alert after three vessels in the Baltic Sea were accused of dragging their anchors in a bid to damage energy and communication cables, with a total of 11 such incidents recorded.
The envoys also claimed that “Russian fighters are making dangerous and escalatory incursions into European airspace”.
“And they continue to try to exploit and undermine trust in key democratic institutions, including elections, independent media, civil society and the rule of law, to further their own interests,” they wrote.
“Russia’s malign global activity, including through cyberattacks and disinformation, shows us that the Russian leadership’s appetite for territorial expansion and global destabilisation goes well beyond Ukraine.”
The envoys referenced Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the war. “India’s voice on the matter is also loud and clear, and as PM Modi put it: ‘A solution cannot be found on the battlefield.”
Indian strategic affairs analysts expressed alarm over the article and its timing. “This vicious article against Russia just before Putin’s state visit to India breaches diplomatic norms, is a diplomatic insult to India as it questions India’s close ties with a very friendly third country,” Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary, said on X.
The Independent has contacted the Indian foreign affairs ministry for comment.
Mr Putin is arriving with defence minister Andrei Belousov and a sizeable delegation of business leaders.
Michael Kugelman of the American think tank Atlantic Council said the visit “offers an opportunity for Delhi to reassert the strength of its special relationship with Moscow, despite recent developments, and make headway in new arms deals”.
New Delhi is likely to discuss the purchase of more S-400 air defence systems among a raft of energy and defence deals.
Indian officials, though, worry that any energy or defence deal may trigger a reaction from the US.
In August, president Donald Trump doubled import levies on India as punishment for its purchases of Russian crude.
Ahead of Mr Putin’s visit, Indian and Russian officials held discussions for deepening cooperation in areas from defence to shipping and agriculture.
The two sides had agreed in August to start talks on a free trade deal between India and the Eurasian Economic Union led by Russia. They are also in talks to expand the partnership in civilian nuclear energy, Indian analysts say.
Recent US-Russia talks to end the Ukraine war could make it easier for New Delhi to engage with Moscow, said Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy studies at the Observer Research Foundation think tank.
“A large part of the trading relationship was based on energy, which is now losing traction under the threat of sanctions from the US,” he added.
“And at the end of the day, only defence remains, which continues to bind the two together.”
