India’s neutrality in Russia-Ukraine war nearly ruined by judge at ICJ

The Indian government has quickly distanced itself from the judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) who voted against Russia, over the Ukraine invasion. 

Speaking of Dalveer Bhandari’s ICJ vote, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said “They are there in individual capacities and they vote on the merits of that. Not appropriate to comment on how judges in the ICJ vote”, and added, “He happens to be an Indian national who is a member in his individual capacity on the ICJ”. 

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Bhandari’s vote came when the ICJ asked Russia to stop military operations in Ukraine immediately. It was supported by 13 judges, but judges from China and Russia opposed it. 

Notably, Bhandari’s vote is significant since it marks a departure from India’s official stance in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Thus far, the nation has abstained from voting at the Security Council, the General Assembly and also the Human Rights Council. However, India has constantly urged that a diplomatic solution must be reached and countries should not abandon the UN Charter. 

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Meanwhile, the US has welcomed the ICJ’s decision in asking Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine. With the ongoing war, there are several sanctions on Russia including a ban on its oil and gas. 

The US is sticking to it, and the European Union (EU) is expected to follow suit as well. However, there’s a distinct possibility that India might end up importing Russian crude oil. While the nation imports most of its crude oil, only 2 or 3% comes from Russia. 

However, with rising oil prices, India might be looking at new alternatives. Bagchi commented on this saying “India does import most of its oil requirements. So, we are always exploring all possibilities in global energy markets because of the situation of importing our oil requirements. I don’t think Russia has been a major supplier” while noting that several countries in the West are importing oil from Russia as well.