NSA Ajit Doval’s visit to Russia has multiple objectives, says Foreign affairs expert

Amid reports about National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s likely visit to Moscow this week, Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev, has said that the NSA’s visit to Russia, has multiple objectives, including his participation at the BRICS NSA meeting. He said that NSA Doval will carry some message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russian National Security Advisor and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Asked about Doval’s likely visit to Moscow and what message he will carry, Robinder Sachdev said, “The visit of National Security Advisor Doval to Moscow has multiple objectives. The first objective is to participate in the meetings of the NSAs of the 10 BRICS countries. So that’s the first objective. But I think there are two other objectives which are even more important than that meeting for which Mr Doval is going. First is that, it is expected that he will carry some message from Prime Minister Modi to the NSA of Russia as well as President Putin.”

“Prime Minister Modi had a meeting with Zelenskyy. What the outcomes are, etc, what are we looking at? So there is some movement. I think what India has done, India has changed the gears of its foreign policy in Prime Minister Modi’s third term. His first visit to Russia followed with a visit to Ukraine. And Prime Minister Modi himself has said in a meeting with Zelenskyy and Putin that India would be happy to contribute in a proactive way for a cessation of this conflict. So, I think what we are seeing now are increasing steps by India towards finding not a solution, but finding where the positions of each parties lie. So therefore, I would think that NSA Doval’s visit, this objective is on the sidelines with Russia,” he added.

NSA Doval will visit Russia this week, sources said. He will attend the BRICS NSA meeting in Moscow, they added. The Meeting of BRICS and BRICS Plus High-Level Security Officials is scheduled to be held in St Petersburg from September 10-12.

Notably, Russia is holding the BRICS chairmanship for the year 2024. BRICS is an informal group of states comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with new members Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joining the grouping in 2023.

“The other objective, I think, of the NSA being in Moscow would be to meet with the NSA of China. This is a meeting of BRICS NSA. So Chinese NSA will also be there and then to see and explore if a summit meeting or a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping and Modi can happen in October on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in Russia, to which Prime Minister Modi would be going, most probably, Xi Jinping would also be coming, Most probably, so, this could be an opportunity for NSA Doval to discuss with the Chinese NSA and do the homework, if the situation is ready and right, that a bilateral sit down between Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping could happen in Kazan in October,” Robinder Sachdev said.

He said that the US and the West are surprised to see India changing its gears in diplomacy towards the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He said that West and US would want India to push for a ceasefire which is favourable to Ukraine and NATO and added that India will not do that and will play the role of an honest broker or moderator.

Notably, India and China have been in a military standoff for over three years since May 2020, when the Chinese tried to aggressively alter the status quo on the Line of Actual Control.

Asked on how the US and the West see a change in India’s foreign policy towards Russia-Ukraine conflict, he responded, “See, America and the west are, I think, very intrigued and little surprised also by seeing that India is now changing its gears in foreign policy and diplomacy towards the Russia Ukraine conflict. On the one hand, America and the west and NATO will say that they are happy, yes, that India is playing a role to bring about a ceasefire.”

“But the point is they want India to push for a ceasefire which is on terms favourable to Ukraine and NATO. India will not do that. India, if it does, will play the role of an honest broker or a moderator or positions between all countries. So on the one hand, the west would be happy that India is playing an increased and proactive role with regards to the Russia-Ukraine situation. On the other hand, they will be looking forward also to see as to what the outcomes are. And lastly, I think they could even be a little unhappy also because you see when Putin says that he will be happy to see India, China and Brazil help in the mediation to resolve the war, what Putin is signalling is that a shift away from the west, that it is the countries of India and China which can help resolve this conflict and not countries of Europe who traditionally have played the role of peace brokers,” he added.

Doval’s visit to Moscow will come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to both Russia and Ukraine in the past two months. During his visit, PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia and Ukraine since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022. Notably, India has always advocated “peace and diplomacy” for resolving conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

During his visit to Russia in July, PM Modi held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. During his talks with the Russian President, PM Modi said that there is no solution on the battlefield and added that peace talks do not succeed amid bombs, guns and bullets

PM Modi said, “As a friend, I have always said that for the bright future of our coming generations, peace is of utmost importance. But I also know that solutions are not possible on battlegrounds. Amid bombs, guns and bullets, solutions and peace talks do not succeed. We will have to follow the path to peace only through talks.”

PM Modi said that everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is a loss of lives. He further stated that it is “heart-wrenching” when innocent children are dying.

PM Modi said, “Be it war, conflicts, terror attacks – everyone who believes in humanity is pained when there is loss of lives. But when innocent children are murdered, when we see innocent children dying, it is heart-wrenching. That pain is immense. I also held a detailed discussion with you over this.”

In August, PM Modi travelled to Ukraine after concluding his visit to Poland. During his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, PM Modi called dialogue the only solution to the conflict in Ukraine.”India was never neutral, we have always been on the side of peace,” PM Modi told Zelenskyy in their bilateral meeting.

PM Modi further said that India was ready to play an active role in the path to peace and progress.

Speaking to ANI in Kyiv, the Ukrainian President at that time had said, “India will play its role. I think that India began to recognise that this is not just conflict, this is real war of one man and his name is Putin against whole country whose name is Ukraine. You are a big country. You have a big influence and you can stop Putin and halt his economy, and put him really in his place.”