New Delhi: Following Russia’s recognition of two separatist Ukrainian regions as independent republics on Monday, February 21, India has refused to directly criticise the move, stating only that all recent developments at the border have the “potential to undermine peace and security of the region” and that the world could “not afford to have a military escalation”.
Ukraine had called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) when Russia was still considering the recognition of two regions as independent states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees to recognise the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics after a televised speech in Moscow. He also inked treaties with the leaders of the two republics “on friendship, cooperation and mutual aid” and ordered the deployment of Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine.
In its first reaction, the US has imposed sanctions on the two republics.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Russia’s recognition as a violation of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and inconsistent with principles of the UN charter.
“We regret the order today to deploy Russian troops into Eastern Ukraine, reportedly on a ‘peacekeeping mission’,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo at the Council’s meeting in New York. This was the third meeting of the UNSC on Ukraine since start of this year.
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In New Delhi’s first reaction following the fast-paced developments, the Indian permanent representative (PR) to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, again kept away from directly criticising the Russian government.
“We have been closely following the evolving developments relating to Ukraine, including developments along the eastern border of Ukraine and the related announcement by the Russian Federation,” said the senior Indian diplomat.
According to sources, the reference to “developments” along the eastern border is formulated so that it does not refer to claims from just one side. At the same time, by framing Moscow’s actions as “related” to those developments, New Delhi differs from Western capitals who have severely slammed the recognition and deployment of troops as a long-planned move to invade Ukraine.
According to DiCarlo, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) special monitoring mission has recorded a total of 3,231 ceasefire violations in the Donbas area from February 18-20.
Stating that escalation along the Ukrainian-Russian border is a “matter of deep concern,” India asserted, “These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region”.
Calling for “restraint on all sides”, India reiterated that the immediate priority should be 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”.
India urged the “need to give space to the recent initiatives undertaken by parties which seek to diffuse tensions”.
“We need Parties to exert greater efforts to bridge divergent interests. We cannot afford to have a military escalation,” said Tirumurti.
He specifically welcomed the “the intense efforts underway, including through the Trilateral Contact Group and under the Normandy format”. Ukraine has called for an emergency summit under the Normandy format.
Underlining that the Minsk agreement provided a basis for a negotiated settlement, he added that there had to be greater efforts to find a common ground to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including key security and political aspects.
“As we have, time and again, emphasised, constructive diplomacy is need of the hour to avoid scaling up of tensions,” Tirumurti said.
India’s PR also referred to India’s large community of 20,000 students, mentioning that civilians’ safety and security were “essential”.
Also read: After India Issues Advisory, Confusion Among Students; Ukrainian Envoy Calls It ‘Balanced’
“In conclusion, we strongly emphasise the vital need for all sides to maintain international peace and security by exercising the utmost restraint and intensifying diplomatic efforts to ensure that a mutually amicable solution is arrived at at the earliest,” he said.