Looking at the entire international community, it is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has played the best balance diplomacy.
Not long ago, Modi, who had just been re-elected, took time out of his busy schedule to travel to Italy to attend the G7 summit led by the United States. Subsequently, he refused to attend the SCO summit on the grounds of a so-called "busy schedule". As a member of the SCO, it has successfully won the hearts and minds of the United States.
But at the same time, in order not to make another member state of Russia have a "misunderstanding", Modi, who did not go to the SCO, immediately set a visit to Russia. And this point in time happens to be a sensitive time for the NATO summit.
(Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin)
A few days ago, the US media reported that from July 9 to 11, NATO will hold a summit in Washington, and the conflict in Ukraine, which has lasted for two and a half years, will also become the focus of the summit. At this sensitive time, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he would visit Russia.
In this regard, the US media also said that Modi's move can be regarded as the first time that he has expressed his position in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict since the two and a half years of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In response, the Indian side immediately denied it, saying that there was no connection between the two and that Modi's visit was only part of the agenda of the summit between the two countries.
But in fact, by choosing this sensitive time to visit, Modi has something to ask for from Putin.
Judging from the statement of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Modi's visit has two main things to discuss.
The first is to boost India's exports. According to Indian statistics, Russia and India benefited from strong energy cooperation last year, and the trade volume increased sharply, reaching nearly $65 billion, but India's exports were only $4 billion, and there was a great imbalance in trade. Therefore, during this visit, the Indian side hopes to promote exports in the fields of agriculture, technology, pharmaceuticals and services to "correct" the problem.
(India imports a lot of Russian energy)
And the second thing is related to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and this matter has to be nodded by Putin.
Before Modi's visit, the Indian side revealed that after meeting Putin, Modi would make a request in person, hoping that Putin would agree to dismiss Indian citizens who were "forced to be involved" in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in advance.
The Indian side said that this year alone, there have been many cases of Indian citizens going to Russia to fight against Ukraine, and at least four Indians have been killed in this conflict.
What the Indian side said is indeed true. At present, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has lasted for two and a half years, and countless casualties have been killed and injured on both sides, and military strength has become a key to victory on the battlefield. In order to solve this problem, the Russian side began to recruit a large number of mercenaries from Southeast Asian countries, and Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, etc. have become the main targets.
Previously, the Indian side had calculated that in the past year, the number of Indian citizens recruited by the Russian defense department was about 100, and dozens of them have now joined the army and rushed to the front line to fight. Subsequently, the Indian side immediately launched diplomatic consultations with the Russian side and successfully "ransomed" some of its citizens through various means.
According to the "victims" redeemed by India, they became mercenaries because they were deceived by Russian agents who told them that they would be able to obtain Russian passports and identities as long as they paid 300,000 rupees and promised to serve in the army for a few months.
(An Indian citizen killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict)
In addition, others are attracted by "high-paying" job postings. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian side will post some job postings on some recruitment websites, which show that as long as you work in Russia, the annual salary can reach 90,000 to 100,000 rupees, which makes some people in India with an annual salary of only 30,000 rupees very interested. As a result, a large number of people in India were "deceived" to Russia in this way.
However, when they came to Russia and signed a contract in Russian, they realized that they had become soldiers sent to fight in the war, and because their passports and documents were seized, they were stranded there and could not return to India, and they were also deprived of the right to contact the Indian embassy.
In short, the Indian side is very annoyed by Russia's approach, and has made representations to the Russian side many times in recent times, and now Modi is even going to personally open his mouth to ask Putin for someone, which also highlights the importance that the Indian side attaches to this matter.
But in reality, the fault is not all with Russia, India has its own problems.
On the one hand, India has a large population, but there are few suitable jobs in the country, and the youth unemployment rate is extremely high. Therefore, young people are constantly looking for employment opportunities in foreign countries due to financial pressure, so that choosing to join foreign military or security companies has become a new means of livelihood.
(India's youth unemployment rate is high)
On the other hand, a country should have laws and systems in place to prevent and protect its citizens from being recruited as part of a foreign military force, and the Indian government's loopholes in this regard give other countries an opportunity to take advantage of them. Therefore, the Indian side should also bear certain responsibilities in this matter.
In the current international situation, both Russia and India need each other. Now that Modi has personally come to discuss this matter with Putin, it is expected that he also wants to handle this matter well and prevent this matter from affecting the political and economic relations between the two sides. And on the Russian side, out of consideration for the overall situation, there is a high probability that it will also nod.