External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that targeting infrastructure and causing civilian deaths in any part of the world is not acceptable.
His statement comes a day after several Russian missiles struck Kyiv and several other cities in Ukraine. At least 14 persons died and 100 were injured in the missile strikes on the Ukranian capital, reported the Associated Press.
While speaking at Lowy Institute in Sydney, he urged Russia and Ukraine to resort to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve their conflict which started on February 24.
“We honestly do not think this conflict is helping anybody at all,” Jaishankar said. “This is a conflict that has gone in many ways in unanticipated directions. I am not sure I would be in a hurry to reach a conclusion.”
Soon after the attacks, India had expressed its concern at the escalation of conflict in Ukraine. “India has consistently maintained since the beginning of the conflict that the global order is anchored in the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
On Monday, India also voted to reject a demand by Russia to carry out a secret ballot at the United Nations General Assembly on a draft resolution condemning Moscow’s “illegal annexation” of four regions of Ukraine.
On October 1, India had abstained from voting on a draft resolution tabled in the United Nations Security Council to condemn Russia’s “illegal referenda” and annexation of the four Ukrainian territories. Russia, being one of the permanent members of the body, used its power of veto to block the resolution.
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