India Declines to Attend Ukraine Peace Conference in Switzerland
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be present at the upcoming Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland, as reported by the Hindustan Times. The Indian government is yet to confirm its level of participation in the event scheduled for mid-June, but sources suggest that top officials like External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will also be absent.
India, known for promoting diplomacy to resolve conflicts, has refrained from condemning Russia despite facing pressure from the West. The country maintains strong economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow and seeks to echo the voice of the Global South in international forums.
While over 160 countries have been invited to the summit, many nations, including China and Pakistan, are likely to skip the event. US President Joe Biden will also be absent, choosing a Hollywood fundraiser instead. Moscow, excluded from the conference, criticized the talks as unrealistic without its participation.
The Ukrainian peace conference aims to address President Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan, but the absence of key players like India and the US raises questions about the event’s efficacy.