Russia-Ukraine Crisis: At UNSC, India Says 'Quiet, Constructive Diplomacy Need of the Hour'

Amid an escalation of crisis between Russia and Ukraine, India on Thursday appealed to all the sides to avoid taking any steps that may increase tension and suggested the issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue. “Quiet and constructive diplomacy is the need of the hour,” said TS Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, while speaking at the UN Security Council (UNSC).

He also said New Delhi has been in touch with all the parties concerned and aims towards securing long-term peace and stability in the crisis-hit region and beyond.

Welcoming efforts being undertaken for the implementation of the Minsk agreement, he said, “We welcome the efforts underway for the implementation of the ‘Minsk Agreements’ including through the Trilateral Contact Group and under the Normandy format. We believe that the ‘Minsk Agreements’, provide a basis for a negotiated and peaceful settlement of the situation in Eastern Ukraine. Accordingly, we urge all parties to continue to engage through all possible diplomatic channels and keep working towards the full implementation of the ‘Minsk Agreements’,” said Tirumurti at the UNSC.

He added, “Any steps that increase tension may best be avoided by all sides in the larger interest of securing international peace and security. Quiet and constructive diplomacy is the need of the hour.”

Asserting that India has been in touch with all concerned parties, he said, “It is our considered view that the issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue. India’s interest is in finding a solution that can provide for immediate de-escalation of tensions taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond.”

MEA on Evacuation of Indians from Ukraine

Earlier in the day, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India does not have any immediate plan to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine and its focus has been on ensuring their safety rather than on anything “larger”. At a media briefing, he said that India has been supportive of an immediate de-escalation of tensions and resolution of the Ukraine crisis through sustained diplomatic dialogue.

He said the Indian embassy in Kyiv has been in touch with the Indian students in Ukraine and that it continued to monitor the situation on the ground. The embassy on Tuesday advised Indian citizens, especially the students, to temporarily leave that country in view of the “uncertainties of the current situation”.

It also asked Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to and within Ukraine. “Our focus is and remains on Indian citizens, Indian students, Indian nationals rather than anything larger than that and in terms of what we need to do to ensure that they are safe,” Bagchi said.

He said there are no immediate evacuation plans and that no special flights are being arranged. Noting that there were limited number of flights between India and Ukraine under the air bubble arrangement, Bagchi said the restrictions on the number of flights and the passengers are being removed.

“Indian carriers are being encouraged to operate charter flights between India and Ukraine,” he said, adding there are flights through other routes as well. On India’s position on the overall situation, Bagchi said it has been supportive of an immediate de-escalation of tensions and resolution of issues through sustained diplomatic dialogue.

Russia has positioned around 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine besides sending warships into the Black Sea for naval exercises, triggering concerns among the NATO countries about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has been denying that it plans to invade Ukraine.

(with inputs from PTI)

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