Russia’s allies having doubts about sabre-rattling Putin
China and India, countries that had initially maintained an ambiguous position, have started to denounce the war situation and reject the use of violence.
Russia is embroiled in its biggest internal crisis since the invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February. Nationwide protests have multiplied following Vladimir Putin’s decision to mobilize 300,000 reservists to the frontline. Voices from within the Kremlin are seeking someone to blame for the loss of territory in northeastern Ukraine and the widely-reported images of Russians fleeing the country to avoid being recruited - both of which do a huge disservice to Putin’s aspirations.
Russia’s allies distance themselves
But there is more bad news for Russia. The countries that until now had been more or less its allies - those that had initially tried to maintain a somewhat ambiguous stance on the war - are beginning to approach Ukraine and ask for an end to the war. Perhaps the biggest example is China, which had always leaned towards the Russian side and even expressed its desire to establish “a new world order” together with Moscow. Now, the Asian giant has recognized China’s “respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity” and its “rejection of the use of force as a means of settling differences,” Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi relayed to his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba on Friday.
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India have also taken a step forward. Their position has been, “Clear and consistent in terms of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries,” according to Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi. But clearer and more consistent was the Indian president, Narendra Modi, who sent a direct message to Putin, stating that, “This is not the time for wars,” during the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.