New Delhi/United Nations: Ahead of the crucial vote on a draft resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) seeking to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Blinken stressed the importance of a ‘strong collective response’ against Russia’s military operation. Russia, meanwhile said Friday it expects support from India at the UNSC when the global body takes up the resolution. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also spoke to S Jaishankar.
The UNSC is due to vote Friday past midnight(IST) the draft resolution tabled by the US and Albania seeking to condemn ‘in the strongest terms possible’ Russia’s aggression, invasion and violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, and all eyes are on India to see how it votes.
The resolution seeks to isolate permanent and veto-wielding member Russia on the global stage after President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch an attack on its neighbour Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said in New Delhi late Thursday night that India has seen the draft resolution. However, it will undergo ‘considerable changes’.
“We will wait to see the shape that this resolution takes before we can pronounce India’s position on the issue, Shringla said. He added: “It is an evolving situation both on the ground and in the United Nations.”
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Jaishankar held separate telephonic conversations Thursday night with Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. During the conversations, he insisted that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way forward to defuse the Ukraine crisis.
Blinken spoke with Jaishankar to discuss Russia’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine. This information was given by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price in Washington.
“Blinken stressed the importance of a strong collective response to condemn Russia’s invasion and call for an immediate withdrawal and ceasefire,” Price said.
The call between the two leaders happened soon after a White House news conference by President Joe Biden. He said his administration is going to have consultations with India on the Ukrainian crisis.
In a tweet, Jaishankar said, “Appreciate the call from @SecBlinken. Discussed the ongoing developments in Ukraine and its implications.”
India has a historic and time-tested friendship with Russia. At the same time, its strategic partnership with the US has grown at an unprecedented pace over the last decade-and-a-half.
In his talks with Lavrov, Jaishankar conveyed to the Russian foreign minister that ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ are the best way forward to defuse the crisis.
The UNSC Council is expected to vote on the draft resolution, two days after it held an emergency meeting on the situation in Ukraine just as Putin had announced Moscow’s invasion of its Ukraine.
A senior US administration official, who did not want to be named, said Washington is putting forward the resolution ‘with every expectation that Russia will use its veto’ and in doing so, ‘they will underscore their isolation’.
In New Delhi, Russia’s Charge d’affaires Roman Babushkin said India has a deep understanding of the reasons that led to the current situation in Ukraine. He said Moscow is looking for continued support from New Delhi in sync with the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.
“We highly appreciate India’s deep understanding of the current situation as well as the reasons that led to it. We expect India to support Russia at the UN Security Council,” Babushkin said Friday.