New Delhi: A few days before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled arrival in India, a controversy erupted over a joint article written by German and French ambassadors along with the British high commissioner. Published in The Times of India on December 1, the piece has not gone down well in diplomatic circles, with several former envoys saying the timing could not have been more provocative.
Titled ‘The world wants the Ukraine war to end, but Russia does not seem serious about peace’, the op-ed, which was authored by German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann, French Ambassador Thierry Mathou and British High Commissioner Lindy Cameron, immediately caught attention.
The opening lines itself set tone of the article. The three diplomats wrote that for more than three years, the people of Ukraine have defended their country with courage and deep resolve.
“Russia can end this war immediately by withdrawing its forces and stopping its illegal aggression, or at the very least by agreeing to a ceasefire, entering negotiations and bringing the fighting to a close,” they wrote.
They added, “But in 2025, Russian attacks have intensified, and since peace talks began, President Putin has launched 22 of the largest strikes of the entire war.”
Throughout their piece, Russia was repeatedly described as the principal driver of the continuing conflict. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they highlighted a statement he had made earlier, “The world agrees that the war must stop. India has also made this clear. Prime Minister Modi has said that no solution can be found on the battlefield.”
Meanwhile, India has expressed displeasure over the joint op-ed, with the Ministry of External Affairs terming it “unusual” and “not acceptable”.
'Not acceptable to give India public advice on relations wirh another country’, say MEA officials after envoys of U.K., France and Germany author anti-Putin article,just 3 days before Russian President arrives in Delhi for State visit. @janusmyth reportshttps://t.co/HWkNIrnLDL
— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) December 3, 2025
Question On Timing, Intent
Without leaving any room for ambiguity, Kanwal Sibal, who has served as the foreign secretary and ambassador to Russia, bluntly cricised the article and described it as a “breach of diplomatic norms” and a “diplomatic insult to India”.
“This vicious article against Russia just before Putin’s state visit to India breaches diplomatic norms, is a diplomatic insult to India as it questions India’s close ties with a very friendly third country,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He went on to write, “It is interference in our internal affairs as the purpose is to fuel anti- Russian sentiments in pro- European circles in India and question the morality of our ties with Russia. The envoys of these three countries are free to make their views known to the MEA in an official demarche but are not supposed to engage in public grandstanding with an overt propagandist intent.”
He did not spare the newspaper either. He said that it was “entirely wrong of TOI to accept to publish this article. This is consciously doing dis-service to our diplomacy and national interest. MEA should express its displeasure publicly at this violation of diplomatic norms by the three envoys”.
This vicious article against Russia just before Putin’s state visit to India breaches diplomatic norms, is a diplomatic insult to India as it questions India’s close ties with a very friendly third country.
It is interference in our internal affairs as the purpose is to fuel… https://t.co/oN5E2iLqT5
— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) December 1, 2025
If ToI comes can IE be far behind.
IE today interviews visiting Deputy FM of Poland.
Knowing Poland’s inveterate hatred of Russia , IE asks him how he views Putin’s visit to India and what he expected India to convey to Putin.
These questions were intended to give the Polish…
— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) December 2, 2025
Sibal also expressed displeasure after ANI interviewed the German ambassador during the build-up to Putin’s visit.
“It is difficult to understand why ANI made a special effort to give the German Ambassador a platform to voice anti-Russia statements right before Putin’s visit. The mindset of our press at times resembles that of a banana republic,” he posted.
He added, “The German Ambassador does not need to tell our leaders what to say to Putin. We oppose the war in Ukraine, but we also know Europe seeks peace only through military power. The envoy should instead be asked why Germany continues to provide weapons and financial aid to Ukraine, and why, despite the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany against Russia in the past, it is again on a confrontational path with Russia.”
Why ANI expressly sought to give the German ambassador an opportunity to do the usual Russia bashing just before Putin’s visit is puzzling.
Our press has the mindset of belonging to a banana republic.
German ambassador does not need to tell our leaders what they should say to… https://t.co/5FgMytVZae
— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) December 2, 2025
Media Choices Under Scrutiny
The criticism did not stop there. Sriymoy Talukdar, a senior editor at Firstpost, argued that the article should never have appeared in an Indian publication at such a sensitive moment.
“This article should not have been published in any Indian media outlet at the time of Putin’s visit. It is a clear attempt to interfere in India’s foreign policy and seems written with the intention of embarrassing India ahead of the Russian President’s arrival,” he wrote.
According to him, “India is not a platform for Europe’s moral rhetoric against Russia. The article is extremely poor in taste and so is the decision by an Indian publication to give it space.”
With Putin's visit imminent, the article by British high commissioner Lindy Cameron and two others should not have been published in an Indian media outlet.
The article is a clear attempt at interference in India's foreign policy, and has been written with an intent to embarrass…— Sreemoy Talukdar (@sreemoytalukdar) December 1, 2025
His criticism prompted a swift response from Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic affairs editor at The Hindu. “Why is the media being targeted here? It is for the Ministry of External Affairs to decide whether a protocol has been violated or not,” he countered the criticism.
Why blame the media here? It is for the MEA to decide whether protocol has been violated... https://t.co/v5Qy00889O
— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) December 2, 2025
Russian Ambassador now responds to column by Ambassadors of UK, Germany and France.
Indian media the new battleground for "Europe's war". https://t.co/8LvJJ4AyrY
— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) December 3, 2025
‘Not A Protocol Breach, But In Good Taste’
Ranjit Rae, former ambassador to Nepal and Vietnam, offered a more measured view when asked by the BBC whether the article amounted to a breach of diplomatic protocol.
“I don’t think there is any violation of protocol, but it is true that when an important guest is arriving, saying such things right before the visit does not go down well. It won’t be considered in good taste. Europe has issues with Russia, but Europe’s problems do not automatically become the world’s problems. Even then, in a democratic country, there should be space to welcome and to criticise,” he said.
Another diplomat who previously served as India’s Ambassador to France, speaking to BBC on condition of anonymity, echoed Rae’s sentiment.
“This is not a protocol violation, but certainly not in good taste. Think of it this way: if I were India’s ambassador in the United States and Pakistan’s prime minister arrived with his Army chief, our government would want some negative atmosphere around them. We might try using the local press. If a paper agreed to give space, we would write something. The second question is whether, in Putin’s case, Indian media should have offered space to European diplomats.”
Geopolitical Signal Behind Putin’s Visit
Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney believes the timing of Putin’s trip carries a much deeper message to the world.
“In a world dividing into rival blocs, President Putin’s December 4-5 visit to New Delhi is not an ordinary diplomatic stop; it is a powerful geopolitical signal. This visit could lead to important agreements, including new payment channels. It is crucial for efforts to bypass the SWIFT system and reduce the dominance of the U.S. dollar,” he posted on X.
He added, “India has watched how Western policies, through sanctions and the weaponisation of financial tools beyond SWIFT, have pushed Russia deeper into China’s embrace. Even then, Putin’s visit, his first since the Ukraine war began, shows that Russia still sees options beyond China and does not intend to become a ‘junior partner’.”
‘Europe’s Problems Are Not World’s Problems’
Chellaney also pointed out that India is sending its own message. “At a time when the U.S., under Trump’s leadership, is treating India disrespectfully, New Delhi is neither isolating Russia nor following Western sanctions that restrict its strategic autonomy. By hosting Putin, India is making it clear that it rejects the Western idea of ‘either you are with us or against us’ and will choose its own path,” he wrote.
In a world splitting into rival blocs, Putin’s Dec. 4–5 visit to New Delhi is not just another diplomatic stopover; it is a powerful geopolitical statement. The trip is poised to deliver consequential agreements, including new payment channels designed to bypass the SWIFT system…
— Dr. Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) December 2, 2025
This theme has appeared in Indian foreign policy discourse before. In June 2022, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at a conference in Bratislava, “Europe has grown up with the mindset that its problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”
Later, Jindal Global Law School Professor Prabhash Ranjan connected Jaishankar’s remark to a historic speech by Jawaharlal Nehru at the United Nations General Assembly on November 3, 1948.
Nehru had said, “I am equally interested in solving Europe’s problems. But I also want to say that the world extends beyond Europe. You cannot solve your problems with the belief that Europe’s problems are the world’s main problems. The conversation must be holistic. If you ignore even one part of the world’s issues, you are not truly understanding them. I speak here as a representative of Asia, which is very much a part of this world.”
Germany’s then Chancellor Olaf Scholz would later cite Jaishankar’s remark during the Munich Security Conference in February 2023, saying, “The Indian foreign minister has a point. But it will not remain only Europe’s problem if rules in international relations are not enforced strictly.”
