In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs expressed ‘deep concern’ after Moscow began airstrikes in various parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Within a few hours, New Delhi voted on the anti-Russian resolution in the United Nations. Almost simultaneously, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was visiting Australia yesterday, said, “The way innocent lives are being taken and infrastructure is being targeted, no part of the world will accept it.”
Diplomatic sources say the situation is becoming so incendiary that it is highly ironic for India to repeat the message of blind allegiance to Russia at the UN. Balanced diplomacy between Russia and America must be maintained. Recalling India’s traditional friendship with Russia over the last 10 days, Jaishankar said that when the US and the West stopped supplying arms to India, Moscow stood by New Delhi in those days of danger.
According to the source, it is part of this balancing diplomacy to eventually vote against Russia in the Commonwealth of Nations, citing a history of friendship with Russia. Since India has been trading with Moscow for the last six months, it has increased its bargaining power in the current geo-strategic situation.
The stance of the Modi government
However, besides importing large quantities of cheap crude oil from Russia, the Modi government has been consistently saying the same on the question of ending violence. That is, we must immediately return to the path of diplomacy and negotiation. The Government of India is willing to mediate in any way necessary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the same thing in the face of President Vladimir Putin during the recent India-Russia summit in Samarkand.
A draft resolution condemning the illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine to Russia was prepared at the UN last night. Russia demanded a secret ballot for the vote on the proposal. Rejecting Russia’s demand, India voted against the secret ballot. With more than one hundred countries. Albania brought the condemnation resolution to the 193-member UN General Assembly.
The resolution condemned and opposed Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions and illegal referendums there. Russia requests reconsideration of the decision to accept Albania’s proposal. Only 13 countries were on Russia’s side. 107 countries are against Russia. 39 countries abstained from voting. Diplomatic circles explain that Russia and China did not vote here knowing that defeat was inevitable.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, strongly reacted to the vote. He alleged that there is fraud in the Security Council.
‘Bharatatma’ brand promotion at G20
Six days before the election of the Congress President, one of the candidates and senior leader of the party Mallikarjun Kharge explained – not Shashi Tharoor, he has the blessings of the Gandhi family on his head. Yesterday Kharge celebrated the memory of 2005 while campaigning in Assam. In his words, “Sonia Gandhi called me at home and requested me to become the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress. I suggest three names to her. But she asked me to lead.”