New Delhi: On a day on which India abstained on a Security Council resolution on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called up Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek “political support” in the UNSC.
Modi expressed “deep anguish” at loss of lives due in the conflict which began with the Russian military invasion.
Zelensky, who still remains in Kyiv, posted on social media that he informed Modi of Ukraine “repulsing” Russia’s “aggression”. “More than 100,000 invaders are on our land. They insidiously fire on residential buildings,” he tweeted.
He urged India to give “political support” to Ukraine in the UN Security Council. “Stop the aggressor together”.
Spoke with 🇮🇳 Prime Minister @narendramodi. Informed of the course of 🇺🇦 repulsing 🇷🇺 aggression. More than 100,000 invaders are on our land. They insidiously fire on residential buildings. Urged 🇮🇳 to give us political support in🇺🇳 Security Council. Stop the aggressor together!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
The Indian government’s readout said that Zelensky briefed Modi “in detail about the ongoing conflict situation in Ukraine”.
“Prime Minister expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict,” it said.
Ukraine’s health minister has claimed that 198 civilians, including three children, have been killed in the conflict that erupted on February 24 after Russian military rolled through Ukrainian territory.
Modi reiterated the “call for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue, and expressed India’s willingness to contribute in any way towards peace efforts”.
With thousands of Indian students still in Ukraine, Modi also expressed “deep concern” about their safety and “sought facilitation by Ukrainian authorities to expeditiously and safely evacuate Indian citizens”.
Earlier on Friday evening (accord to New York’s Eastern Standard Time), India had abstained, along with China and United Arab Emirates on the draft resolution backed by US and EU that “deplored” the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia had stopped the resolution from being adopted by wielding its veto as an UNSC permanent member.
At the UNSC, India had asserted that “no solution can ever be arrived at, at the cost of human lives” and called for ending the violence. But, the statement again stopped short of directly criticising Russia.
After the resolution failed to get adopted, The Ukrainian permanent representative to the UN, Sergi Kyslytsya criticised the countries who had abstained, stating that “he was saddened to see a small handful of delegates tolerating the war, as they should oppose it to protect their own nationals in that country”.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian ambassador to India, Igor Polikha had appealed to PM Modi to use his good offices with Modi to stop further military aggression. He had also stated that Kiev was “deeply dissatisfied” with the Indian position that New Delhi was monitoring the situation closely. Later, Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla that India had not got any such feedback from the Ukrainian side.