It’s been more than 50 days since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, and there are still no signs of the war ending quickly.
But no matter how the war in Ukraine ends, Europe and the world will not be the same. Post-Cold War relationships have been fundamentally — perhaps permanently — altered.
The nations of Western Europe have already taken steps to re-evaluate their relationship with Russia, and the clock is unlikely to be turned back on that process.
If Russia’s President Vladimir Putin remains in power, the United States will have to decide how to deal, in bilateral and multilateral fora, with the man it has called a war criminal.
In the United Nations, four members of the P5+1 will have to coordinate their strategy against the two remaining veto-wielding members of the Security Council — Russia and China, whom the war in Ukraine has brought very close in a shared hostility towards the West.
Where does this situation leave India? Its delicate tightrope walk between Russia and the West has already been frowned upon by important allies. New Delhi has crucial relationships on both sides, with far-reaching economic and strategic implications.
What are the contours of the diplomatic challenge India faces in the coming years, and what choices can it be forced to make?
These questions, and more, will come up for discussion on Wednesday at the next session of Explained Live on “After the war: Russia, the West, and India” with Dr C Raja Mohan, one of India’s leading commentators on foreign policy and Contributing Editor at The Indian Express.
Now a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Delhi, Dr Raja Mohan was the director of the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore from May 2018 to December 2021.
He will be in conversation with Shubhajit Roy, Associate Editor at The Indian Express.
