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If Russia’s attack is unchallenged, implications for Indo-Pacific also: EU chief
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on Sunday begins a two-day visit to India, said that she will discuss the Ukraine crisis with India with a clear message about the “need to stop this aggression now”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that letting Russia’s unjustified attack on Ukraine go unchallenged could lead to a world where “might makes right”, including in the Indo-Pacific, where there are “simmering tensions”.
Von der Leyen, who on Sunday begins a two-day visit to India during which she will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and open the Raisina Dialogue, said that she will discuss the Ukraine crisis with India with a clear message about the “need to stop this aggression now”.
The European Union (EU) invites other countries to join its efforts to hamper President Vladimir Putin’s “ability to continue the bloodshed in Ukraine” through a sanctions regime “because Russia’s aggression is not only a danger for individual countries but for the entire world”, she said in an interview ahead of her arrival.
Asked about the potential risk of the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggering similar incidents in the Indo-Pacific, where China has unresolved border disputes with several countries, von der Leyen said: “I believe there is a risk that – if this aggression goes unchallenged – we may all face a world where might makes right. The EU is for the rule of law, not for the rule of the gun.”
“This is valid not just in Europe but also in the Indo-Pacific, where we see simmering tensions. With our Indo-Pacific strategy we have clearly indicated that the EU has a strong stake in the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific,” she added. “We want to work with our friends and partners, notably India.”
Von der Leyen said she will discuss the Ukraine conflict with interlocutors in New Delhi as part of the EU’s intense consultations with partners worldwide. “What I say to all my interlocutors is that we need to stop this aggression now. We must uphold respect for the UN Charter, territorial integrity and the sovereignty of nations,” she said.
“We work very closely with India also in this respect and we appreciate the repeated calls by Prime Minister Modi for an immediate cessation of hostilities as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid from India to Ukraine,” she said, adding that the “unprovoked attack by Putin is a challenge to the very principles that underpin global peace and security”.
India has condemned the civilian killings in Bucha and consistently called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and a return to the path of dialogue. Modi has suggested there should be direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. India, which has stopped short of publicly criticising the Russian invasion, is facing growing pressure from European partners and the US to change its position.
The US has also pressed India not to increase its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil or circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia’s leadership and financial system. Asked if the EU would act against countries that try to circumvent Western sanctions, von der Leyen said the aim of sanctions by more than 40 countries is to hamper Putin’s ability to continue bloodshed in Ukraine.
“Sanctions are directed against the Kremlin’s war machinery. We invite other countries to join this effort, because Russia’s aggression is not only a danger for individual countries but for the entire world,” she said.
It is important for the world community to come together to defend the values of the UN Charter in the face of an “unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russia”, and global forums such as the Raisina Dialogue can help in this regard, she said.
Modi will inaugurate the Raisina Dialogue on April 25, and von der Leyen will join the inaugural session as chief guest. The dialogue is the external affairs ministry’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
On the bilateral front, von der Leyen said the EU sees India as a crucial partner for upholding the rules-based global order, fighting climate change and charting the digital transition. The two sides also have converging interests such as ensuring a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Von der Leyen also said the EU wants to swiftly conclude three agreements on trade, investment protection and geographical indications with India, a market of “very significant magnitude”, so that the two sides can support economic recovery and “navigate around rising global tensions and secure our supply chains”.
