Context: The Ukraine war has entered a possible phase of renewed diplomatic engagement, with the United States, Russia and Ukraine exploring ways to revive negotiations. As the 2026 BRICS Chair, India faces the challenge of keeping the peace process alive while representing the wider Global South, which bears significant economic and geopolitical costs from the conflict.
Renewed Push for Ukraine Peace
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) reiterated India's longstanding position that the war must ultimately end through dialogue and diplomacy.
- US President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, subsequently travelled to Moscow and Kyiv with renewed peace proposals, bringing the possibility of negotiations back into focus.
- Trump's follow-up conversation with Putin calling for a swift end to the war indicates a renewed US focus on the Ukraine peace process after attention had shifted towards the West Asian conflict.
- Earlier diplomatic efforts, including the Alaska/Anchorage summit, Geneva and Abu Dhabi negotiations, had generated proposals and counter-proposals but failed to produce a settlement.
India's Diplomatic Approach
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Moscow and Kyiv reinforced India's preference for dialogue and diplomacy rather than imposing a separate, branded peace framework.
- Unlike some countries that have proposed independent peace frameworks, India has largely worked within the existing US-led diplomatic track, seeking to facilitate communication rather than replace the principal mediators.
- India can potentially act as a bridge by amplifying the concerns of the Global South and encouraging all parties to remain engaged in negotiations.
Major Obstacles to a Settlement
Significant differences remain, particularly over territory and security guarantees.
- Russia has maintained claims over territories including Crimea and parts of the Donbas, while reportedly offering arrangements concerning areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that it has not fully captured.
- Ukraine has not accepted such territorial arrangements, leaving the central issue of territorial sovereignty and control unresolved.
- Questions surrounding security guarantees for Ukraine also remain a major obstacle.
- The United States can facilitate negotiations, but cannot simply compel Ukraine to surrender territory or force Russia to accept terms it rejects.
Why the Ukraine War Matters to the Global South
The conflict has consequences extending far beyond Europe.
- The war has affected energy prices, food and fertiliser security, inflation and sovereign debt across developing economies.
- Disruptions in energy and commodity markets can raise the cost of living and constrain economic growth in countries geographically distant from the battlefield.
- Prolonged geopolitical conflict also weakens the effectiveness of multilateral institutions on which smaller and developing states depend.
- Consequently, countries without direct military involvement have a legitimate interest in an early and durable settlement.
Ukraine Peace as a Global Public Good
The conflict should not be viewed solely as a matter concerning Russia, Ukraine and their respective supporters.
Peace in Ukraine can be considered a global public good because ending the conflict can reduce:
- Global energy and food-market disruptions.
- Inflationary pressures.
- Supply-chain instability.
- Geopolitical fragmentation.
- Pressure on developing-country economies.
India's Energy-Security Position
- India has maintained that cutting oil imports alone will not end the war and that its energy security remains a legitimate national priority.
- India has also argued that sanctions, by themselves, cannot substitute for diplomatic engagement and negotiations.
- This position reflects the broader concerns of developing economies that bear the economic consequences of geopolitical conflicts without having a decisive role in their resolution.
Why Peace Matters for India's Development
- India aims to sustain rapid economic growth and achieve developed-country status over the coming decades.
- Prolonged global conflicts can undermine this trajectory through higher energy and commodity prices, inflation, supply disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty.
- Therefore, India's interest in promoting peace is not merely diplomatic; it is also connected to its long-term economic and developmental objectives.
BRICS and the Global South
The Global South comprises developing and emerging economies that increasingly seek a greater voice in global governance and international economic decision-making.
- Many Global South countries are distant from the battlefield but remain exposed to the economic consequences of the Ukraine and West Asian conflicts.
- Their interests therefore extend beyond choosing sides; they include energy security, food security, economic stability, development and restoration of predictable global trade.
- BRICS provides India with an important platform to articulate these shared concerns.
India’s Immediate Task as BRICS Chair
India's challenge at the BRICS Summit is not to replace Washington, Moscow or Kyiv as the principal peace negotiators.
Instead, India can:
- Keep the political focus on dialogue and diplomacy.
- Ensure that the concerns of the Global South are reflected in BRICS deliberations.
- Encourage all parties to maintain channels of communication.
- Support a collective call for peace without simply endorsing the position of any one belligerent.
- Promote the idea that global conflicts require inclusive and negotiated solutions.
BRICS Summit and Representation
- The 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi will bring together countries with differing positions on contemporary conflicts.
- Russia represents one of the major belligerents in the Ukraine conflict, while Iran represents a key actor in the West Asian conflict.
- This gives India an opportunity to ensure that the summit's declaration reflects the broader global consequences of conflict, rather than becoming an endorsement of any single party's position.
Way Forward: India's most credible contribution is likely to be quiet, sustained diplomatic nudging rather than a separate peace plan. As BRICS Chair, it can keep the voices of conflict-affected Global South countries within the diplomatic conversation, encourage dialogue among the parties and sustain international pressure for a negotiated settlement. Ultimately, wars end at the negotiating table, and India's role is to keep that table politically possible.
