Why India didn’t vote against Russia at the UN

India, China and the UAE abstained from voting on a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Russia, of course, used its veto, and the resolution could not be passed on February 25.Speaking at the meeting, India’s permanent representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, said that “India is deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine.” Expressing concern about the safety of Indians, especially the thousands of students, in Ukraine, he said that there needs to be “a constructive way forward”.“Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes,” said Tirumurti, ending his short speech, saying that India has chosen to abstain from voting on the resolution.In UN Security Council meeting on #Ukraine today, India abstained on the vote on draft resolution. Our Explanatio… https://t.co/aznvJRDQA2— PR/Amb T S Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) 1645829491000National interestSome former diplomats have been quoted as saying that the decision to abstain is based on national interest stemming from India’s long association with Russia (from the Soviet Union era).An October 2021 report by the US Congressional Research Service showed that India is among the top five importers of Russian arms. “Since 2010, Russia has been the source of nearly two-thirds (62%) of all Indian arms imports and India has been the largest Russian arms importer and has accounted for nearly one-third (32%) of all Russian arms exports,” it said. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r The Indian Army’s battle tanks are largely Russian; the Navy’s sole operational aircraft carrier is a refurbished Soviet-era ship, and its entire complement of fighter and ground attack aircraft are Russian-made or produced in India on licence; and the Air Force’s fighter ground attack fleet is 71% Russian-origin, it said.It’s not just defence; India and Russia have a long and strong trade relationship. Enhancing trade and economic cooperation is a key priority for both India and Russia as they seek to triple bilateral trade from $9.31 billion in 2020 to $30 billion by 2025. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Untitled Carousel 89772923Trade with RussiaONGC Videsh has a stake in Russia’s Sakhalin oil field, and a consortium of Indian public sector oil companies have been interested in investing in Russia’s massive Vostok oil project.Given the many ways in which the two countries are linked through trade, it makes sense that India does not want to antagonise a large trading partner.Social media, of course, is full of all kinds of other reasons why India chose to abstain. Russia has always stood by India, explain some fervent nationalists. It’s time for India to stand by Russia, they argue. This image, which seeks to explain why India is standing with Russia, has been doing the rounds of social media. medium89849244On the other side were many remarks from around the world expressing dismay at India’s decision. “Disappointing as well as short-sighted,” said US diplomat Richard Haass.India’s careful, avoid angering Putin at all costs response despite Russia’s blatant aggression vs Ukraine highligh… https://t.co/eWyL3xBSkI— Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) 1645792490000Should India’s decision shock and surprise so many people? Abstaining from voting on the Russia resolution is in keeping with India’s long-stated policy of not aligning with any superpower. And that policy has its roots in the Non-Aligned Movement of the 1950s.Untitled Carousel 89549169What is NAM?The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has its roots in the Cold War and the aftermath of World War II. Smaller countries in the Global South, as well as several newly independent nations, agreed to stay out of the Cold War, by refusing to ally with either of the two superpowers (the US and the USSR).While it did not mean cutting off all ties with the two superpowers (which no country could afford to do), it did mean not signing bilateral military treaties with either the US or the USSR if that treaty was in the context of the Cold War. medium89849352NAM was created as a democratic institution, where all members have an equal say, unlike the UN, with its many layers of power and influence.Does non-alignment mean members must remain passive in times of global crisis?It may appear that being non-aligned means being a pacifist. However, that’s far from the founding principles of NAM, which was to give a voice to developing nations and encourage them to participate confidently in world affairs. The movement advocates international cooperation, multilateralism and national self-determination, with a focus on dialogue and diplomacy to resolve international disputes. medium89849147India’s role in NAMThe phrase “non-alignment” in the context of global geopolitics was first used by VK Krishna Menon, India’s then ambassador to the UN. Under Jawaharlal Nehru, India was one of the prime movers of NAM. The first NAM conference was led by Nehru, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Sukarno of Indonesia.There’s another point that is being made now. The votes at the UN Security Council really mean little to beleaguered Ukraine. As the smaller country finds itself being invaded from all sides by its gigantic neighbour, it’s not looking for words of censure or praise. It’s looking for active help — or for the world to stop Russia in its tracks.Meanwhile, the world seems busy lighting up its buildings in blue and yellow, the Ukrainian colours, as a mark of solidarity with Ukraine.Read more: How India got USSR on its side during the Bangladesh crisis