Photo/Illutration In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet at the Grand Prince Hotel during the G-7 summit in Hiroshima on May 20. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

The meeting between the leaders of India and Ukraine on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima could change the course of relations between New Delhi and Moscow, according to a scholar of international summits and diplomacy. 

Tristen Naylor, assistant professor in politics and history at the University of Cambridge who specializes in the G-7 and G-20, said that the Hiroshima meeting provided an opportunity “to bring India closer to the camp of democratic nations.”

G-7 nations have condemned Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

While the G-7 nations have worked to starve the Russian war machine and cut off economic support, India has adopted an ambiguous stance.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is unbreakable.

India has purchased cheap oil from Russia and relied heavily on Russian weapons.

Modi was invited to the G-7 summit and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 20, who made a surprise visit to Hiroshima.

The talks were one of Zelenskyy’s main objectives in attending the G-7 summit to meet with leaders of the emerging and developing nations, collectively known as the Global South.

“Modi can change the strategic balance of the war in Ukraine,” Naylor said.

He said that’s why Zelenskyy needed to meet with Modi first in Hiroshima.

After Russia’s invasion, the world now needs to worry not only about nuclear proliferation but also about the use of nuclear weapons.

As Putin has said that he won’t rule out using nuclear weapons, opening the summit with a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a “symbolic reminder for the rest of the world,” Naylor said.

“No country can better convey the horrific consequences of the use of nuclear weapons than Japan,” he said.

Zelenskyy’s attendance at the summit could also be attributed to Japan’s presence on the world stage. 

Naylor said it showed that “Japan is not just a leading economy but can act as a leader in geopolitics.”

“Inviting Zelenskyy and successfully reaching out to India could be a turning point in the war in Ukraine,” he said.

India is scheduled to chair the G-20 summit in September where Ukraine could be a main topic of discussion. 

“This is an opportunity for Modi to change his position and set the terms for peace in Ukraine,” Naylor said.

Although future events are uncertain, Japan has given India the opportunity to act as a peacemaker, he said.

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