Neighbourly lesson

Nepal must double its efforts, even using Russia’s allies, including India, to expedite the return of Nepalis fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently come under fire, both in India and abroad, for hugging Russian President Vladimir Putin even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows no sign of ceasing. As expected, among the fiercest critics of the infamous hug is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called it a “huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts”. As Putin continues to be made a pariah by the Western world for his continued attack on Ukraine, India under Modi has made it clear that the world’s largest democracy cares more about the India-Russia military-industrial complex than international humanitarian concerns.