NEW DELHI, April 5 -- In a recent interview with NewsX/The Sunday Guardian, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott suggested that India, with its strong military, economic power, and nuclear deterrence, is well-equipped to police a ceasefire in Ukraine. Here are the edited excerpts from the interview:

Q: As you opine that you need to have foreign troops deployed along the border to police the ceasefire when and if it is negotiated and you have proposed that India could perform such a role, do you think Russia, European Union, United States would be accepting of your proposal?

A: Well, I can't say any of them would not accept it. For one thing, India has historically good relations with Russia for another thing, the Indian Army is ...