Russia-Ukraine tensions: Cannot afford military escalation, India tells UN
Premium- India’s Permanent Representative to the UN said the mounting crisis between Russia and Ukrain can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue
Russia-Ukraine crisis: De-escalation of Russia-Ukraine tensions should be an immediate priority and that "all sides" should exercise "utmost restraint", India told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said the mounting crisis between Russia and Ukrain can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.
"We cannot afford to have a military escalation," he said, underlining that these developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed decrees to recognise Ukraine's two breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as ‘independent’, escalating the tension in the region and increasing fears of Moscow's invasion of former Soviet republic.
Hours after this audacious move, Putin also ordered Russian troops into eastern Ukraine in what the Kremlin called a "peacekeeping" mission in the Moscow-backed regions.
Today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India stands for peace and that the Ukrainian crisis should be resolved through talks. "India wants peace to be established in any way. We are sure that when talks take place, some way or the other will come out," Singh said on the sidelines of an election meeting at Banshi Bazar in Ballia in Uttar Prdesh.
Ambassador Tirumurti told the UN meeting that India has been closely following the evolving developments relating to Ukraine and announcement by the Russian Federation.
“The escalation of tension along the border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation is a matter of deep concern. These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region," he said.
"We call for restraint on all sides. The immediate priority is 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," he added.
“We are convinced that this issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue. We need to give space to the recent initiatives undertaken by parties which seek to diffuse tensions," Tirumurti said,
“We need Parties to exert greater efforts to bridge divergent interests. We cannot afford to have a military escalation."
Tirumurti emphasised that the Minsk Agreements provide a basis for a negotiated and peaceful settlement and "we need greater efforts to find common ground to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including key security and political aspects."
With inputs from PTI
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