According to Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Kyiv, India is a key player in efforts to resolve the conflict because of its position as G20 president and its advocacy for developing nations suffering from the economic effects of the Ukraine crisis.

Brink said during an online briefing before the 500th day of the war in Ukraine that India’s leadership is crucial in efforts to expand the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal that Turkey and the UN mediated last year for the supply of grains and fertilisers from Ukraine to markets around the world.

The US pushed India to adopt a harder stance on the crisis and restrict its consumption of discounted Russian oil soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. To date, neither the Indian side nor its Western allies have publicly attacked Russia’s actions or supported resolutions at UN forums condemning the invasion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s successful state visit to the US and President Joe Biden’s assessment of the US-India cooperation as one of the most important in the world helped Brink frame India’s role in the situation. “As the G20 president for this year, your country’s leadership is essential to influencing global events, including in places like Ukraine, which may seem far away but have effects on the entire world,” she remarked.

She continued: “This war has wide-ranging implications for the global economy, for food security, and for the basic principles outlined in the UN Charter on sovereignty and territorial integrity.” She was referring to India’s efforts to assist developing nations through its G20 leadership.

I understand that we and India share a same aim in terms of respect for the territorial integrity of states and respect for the UN Charter, Brink said when asked what role the US wants India to play. And to me, this is the cornerstone of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s peace strategy, and I am aware that India values this. Additionally, the US places a great deal of importance on it.

Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace proposal, which he presented at the G20 Summit in Indonesia last year, can serve as a focal point for international support for Ukraine, according to her.

She continued by saying that the US and its allies, like India, could collaborate to address the global problems brought on by the war, like food security and the “disruptions that Russia has made to the world energy market”.

Brink further out that the deal has assisted in stabilising world markets by permitting the export of more than 32 million tonnes of grain since last August, despite Russia threatening to leave the Black Sea Grain Initiative after July 18. “India’s leadership may be crucial in several areas, including this one. The leaders of India may speak up for developing nations and support the continuation and growth of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, she said.

According to Brink, the US and India are both “proud democracies” and share the goal of promoting state sovereignty and independence. While the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may seem distant, she explained that it has global repercussions and obligations for nations to respect one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“I know the people of India understand the importance of freedom of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and India’s leaders have spoken about these fundamental principles,” Brink added, omitting any mention of China.

Not just Ukraine is affected by the threat posed by a bordering country with escalating ambitions and disregard for territorial integrity. Brink cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “today’s era is not of war” and the G20 presidency’s theme of “One earth, one family, one future” as examples of the mindset required to bring about “the peace that the people of Ukraine want.”

In response to inquiries, Brink stated that the counteroffensive by Ukraine is “progressing as expected” and that the US is “fully supporting Ukraine’s efforts to retake its territory.” The US will keep providing security aid because it is “encouraged and optimistic” about the counteroffensive.