Indian NSA Ajit Doval Told Russia India Would Not Act Against It Over Ukraine War: Report

India's National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval assured Russia that India would not act against it in multilateral foruns, according to a report.

Doval also assured Russia that Ukraine War would not feature prominently in the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit in India later this year, according to The Washington Post, which cited recently-leaked US defence and intelligence documents. 

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, India has come under criticism in the West for not condemning Russia and for continuing to purchase Russian oil, which is seen as a critical element of Russian economy. The United States-led West has placed tought sanctions on Russia and have cracked down on its oil and energy sector. While the West has shunned Russian oil, India has bought it in huge quantities at a discount.

The Post also reported that some other countries too are not willing to openy take sides between the United States-led West and Russia or China and are turning towards China, such as Pakistan and Brazil. 

What does the report say?

NSA Ajit Doval told his Russian counterpart Nikolay Patrushev of India’s support for Russia in multilateral venues, according to The Post.

The Post further reported that the Modi government was working to ensure the Ukraine War did not come up during a G-20 meeting chaired by India despite "considerable pressure" to do so. India is the Chair of G-20 this year and a G-20 Leaders Summit is scheduled to be held in India later this year.

"Doval, the leaked document shows, also cited India’s resistance to pressure to support the Western-backed U.N. resolution over Ukraine, saying his country 'would not deviate from the principled position it had taken in the past'," reported The Post.

The report mentions the historical relationship between India and Russia and also cites PM Modi's message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Last year on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Modi had told Putin that today's time is not meant for war.

"I know that today's era is not of war and we have spoken to you many times on the phone that democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue are such things that touch the world," said Modi to Putin publicly.

The Post says, "People familiar with India’s position say it does not support Russia’s war —pointing to a denunciation Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered to Putin in person— but has long relied on Moscow’s support at the United Nations and has little choice but to maintain energy and economic ties with Russia."

Other countries also not following US line

Not just India, but other countries like Pakistan and Brazil are also not following the stand of the United States.

While the United States-led Western world and partners in East Asia have joined hands in support of Ukraine against Russia, a large of the developing world has not been eager to pick sides between United States and Russia. The Post cites the cases of Pakistan and Brazil among such countries.

"According to one of the leaked documents, Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s minister of state for foreign affairs, argued in March that her country can 'no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States'," says the report.

The Post also cites an aide of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as suggesting to him that the country should not align with the West on a vote at the United Nations regarding Russia.

The report says, "The aide advised Sharif that support for the measure would signal a shift in Pakistan’s position following its earlier abstention on a similar resolution, the intelligence document says. Pakistan had the ability to negotiate trade and energy deals with Russia, and backing the Western-backed resolution could jeopardize those ties, the aide noted."

Brazilian President Lula da Silva is also among the developing world's leaders not in line with the Western approach.

The report says, "Lula has angered NATO nations by suggesting they are prolonging the Ukraine conflict by supplying arms to Kyiv and proposing that, to achieve peace, Russia might surrender some of the territory it controls in Ukraine but retain the occupied Crimean peninsula...According to intelligence cited in the leaked documents, officials at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported Lula’s plan, saying it would counteract the West’s 'aggressor-victim' narrative about Ukraine. Shortly after returning from China, Lula hosted Russia’s foreign minister in Brasília."