India again showed friendship in UNSC, stayed away from voting on censure motion; Russia used veto

A resolution was introduced by the US and Albania to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In this Russia’s illegal referendum condemned the Russian occupation of Ukraine’s territories. The resolution demanded that Russia immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Voting was also held in the UNSC for this, but India distanced itself from it. Along with India, China also supported Russia to an extent by keeping distance from voting.

The 15 countries of the United Nations Security Council were to vote on this resolution, but Russia used a veto against it. Because of this the motion could not be passed. 10 countries voted in support of this resolution and four countries did not participate in the vote. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the occupation of another country’s territory by threat or use of force violates the UN Charter and the principles of international law.

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj spoke of peace, diplomacy and dialogue while representing India at the UNSC on a resolution brought by the United States and Albania. He said that India is deeply disturbed by the recent developments in Ukraine. He later said that India stayed away from voting because of “the totality of the situation”.

Earlier on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally announced the merger of four regions of Ukraine into the Russian Federation. “I want the authorities of Kyiv and their rightful owners in the West to listen to me. People living in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya are becoming our citizens forever,” he said. Let us tell you that India has not yet called the conflict in Ukraine a Russian aggression.

Kamboj said, “We have always advocated that no solution can ever be found at the cost of human life. We urge that all efforts are made by the parties concerned to immediately end the violence and hostilities. Dialogue is the only answer to resolve differences and dialogue, no matter how difficult it may appear at the moment.”

“The Prime Minister of India has clearly conveyed this to the world leaders including the President of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Our External Affairs Minister attended one of his recent events at the UNGA last week. The Prime Minister of India has also emphasized that this cannot be an era of war.” Kamboj was referring to PM Modi’s remarks during his meeting with Putin in Samarkand. Western countries had praised Modi’s statement fiercely.