NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday has acknowledged that his initial criticism of India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war has left him with “egg on his face.” Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, Tharoor admitted that India’s neutral policy has positioned it as a key player in fostering lasting peace and has a Prime Minister “who can hug both the president of Ukraine and the president in Moscow”.
Tharoor, who had previously called for India to condemn Russia’s aggression, said during a session, “I am still wiping the egg off my face because I was one of the few in Parliament who criticised India’s position in February 2022.”
The Thiruvananthapuram MP explained that his criticism was based on the violation of the UN Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty. However, three years later, he now recognises that India’s balanced approach has allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky within weeks of each other.
“All of those principles had been violated by one party and we should have condemned it. Well, three years later it does look like I am the one with the egg on my face because clearly the policy has meant that India has actually a prime minister who can hug both the president of Ukraine (Zelenskyy) and the president in Moscow (Putin) two weeks apart and be accepted in both places,” he said according to news agency PTI.
With the caveat that he was speaking in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the government as he is in the opposition, Tharoor suggested that India might be open to sending peacekeepers if there was an agreed peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
He noted that Russia has ruled out NATO peacekeepers, making non-European forces more viable. “As an Indian parliamentarian, I don’t think there would be strong resistance to the idea,” he said, citing India’s extensive history in peacekeeping missions.
Tharoor recalled how, in 2003, India’s Parliament firmly rejected sending troops to Iraq after the US-led invasion. However, he stated, “I don’t see that happening for Ukraine.”
India has participated in over 49 UN peacekeeping missions, reinforcing its long-standing commitment to global stability.
