India on Monday reiterated its call for immediate de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries. India’s Ambassador to United Nations, T S Tirumurti focused on quiet and constructive diplomacy and said that ‘any steps that increase tension may best be avoided by all sides in the larger interest of securing international peace and security’.
“India has been following the developments between Russia and Ukraine closely and has also considered the ongoing diplomatic talks with the US. India’s interest is in finding a solution to the problem and maintaining security and peace within the region”, Tirumurti said while addressing the UN.
At UNSC meet on Ukraine, India’s envoy @IndiaUNNewYork @ambtstirumurti calls for “immediate deescalation of tensions” which takes into account “legitimate security interests of all countries” pic.twitter.com/p8WBn7IveF
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 31, 2022
This is after India along with Kenya and Gabon abstained from a procedural vote in the UN Security Council on whether or not discussions were required on the threat of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But US ensured that the meet was conducted as it was able to get nine votes in all from France, the UK, Brazil, Albania, Ghana, Norway, Mexico, UAE and Ireland.
At UNSC meet on Ukraine, Russia @RussiaUN thanks countries who voted against/abstained on holding of the meeting (procedural vote). China (against), India, Gabon & Kenya (abstained) on holding of the meeting. https://t.co/sbWA0ppG2H pic.twitter.com/fBnYnP4Lq4
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 31, 2022
During the meeting, Amb T S Tirumurti also highlighted that more than 20,000 Indian students and nationals live and study in different parts of Ukraine, including in its border areas. While the Indian mission in Kyiv has started to collect data on the number of Indians in Ukraine, the well-being of Indian nationals is of priority to us, he added.
The call for de-escalation of tensions along the Ukraine border came three days after India advocated a “peaceful resolution” of the situation through “sustained diplomatic efforts” for “long-term peace and stability” in the region and beyond.
It is important to note that the United States has been pressuring India to speak up to call out Moscow’s alleged aggression since the first week of January as three Indo-Russia conversations have taken place in the same month. Earlier, MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had cleared that Indian Embassy in Kyiv is monitoring the local developments. “We call for a peaceful resolution of the situation through sustained diplomatic efforts for long term peace and stability in the region and beyond”, he had said.
What’s the Russia-Ukraine crisis?
It’s been one and a half months since the possibility of war between Russia and Ukraine is looming large. While Russia has amassed lakhs of its military with missiles and weapons at the Ukraine borders, the United States has stepped up in support of Ukraine.
Amid the diplomatic talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine, Russia has demanded in writing from the West to cease expansion of NATO. It has demanded that Ukraine should never be allowed to join NATO. As the US and the West have ruled this out, the two sides are negotiating in Paris, in the presence of interlocutors from France, Germany, the US and Russia.
Does Russia bid to resolve the issue?
Russia and Ukraine have a history that dates back to when Kyiv first became the capital of the ancient state of Russia. According to the reports, the two countries were united under the rule of Tsar in Russia and later became the core of the Soviet Union. It is during the revolution led by Vladimir Lenin that the Ukranians happened to create a state of their own and declared independence in January 1918.
Vladimir Lenin had then said that ‘losing Ukraine would be losing Russia’s head’. Putin, in his more than two-decade of Russian rule, has made several attempts to restore Russia’s influence in the countries that were part of the Soviet Union, that includes Ukraine. He also had called break up of the Soviet Union ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the last century’.
While there are negotiations going on between the two countries, French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to resolve the crisis. According to Putin, NATO, if allows Ukraine as a member, may use it as a launchpad for missiles targeted at Russia. Russia reportedly views NATO’s eastward expansion to 14 new countries, including some that were part of the Soviet Union as a potential threat.
In 2014, NATO unanimously decided to suspend all practical co-operation with the Russian Federation, in response to the Ukraine crisis, but the NATO-Russia Council still remains intact.
