India has no plans to invite Vladimir Zelensky in the G20 summit, scheduled in New Delhi on September 9-10.
The possibility of it happening had gained ground after Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister, visited India in April.
India’s foreign minister Dr S. Jaishankar made it clear in a press conference that India would refuse to be deterred by coercion, inducements or false narratives while taking a swipe at its two nuclear-armed neighbours, Pakistan and China.
India is seen as an “effective, credible development partner,” whose global footprint is visible in things from an Aram supercomputer in Namibia to a textile factory in Kenya to a transformational ferry in Guyana to Metro Express in Mauritius.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has been the defining face of the changing foreign policy. The Indian leader, who will address a joint session of US Congress during a state visit to Washington DC on June 22, will add another coveted feather to his cap, much to the delight of his supporters. He will be the only Indian prime minister to have addressed a joint sitting of the US Congress twice.
He will be the guest of honor at France’s Bastille Day parade on July 14, becoming the second Indian prime minister after Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2009 to attend the ceremony. This is the escape velocity of India’s foreign policy outlook that has changed through the Modi years.
Dr. Jaishankar singled out Russia as a trusted ally since 1955 and a key to Eurasian stability.
Asked whether due to the Ukraine conflict he foresees any difficulty formulating the leaders’ declaration during the G20 summit in September, the minister deflected the question. “Diplomacy is a business for optimistic people,” he said while flashing a smile.
