India abstains from voting the United Nations General Assembly...

Resolution proposed by Ukraine and its supporters on Ukraine Russia crisis...


India reiterated its stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Thursday, saying that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable options. 

 

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved a non binding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces. India abstained from voting in the for the resolution in the UNGA while the permanent Indian representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocating that “no solution can ever arrive at the cost of human lives”.

 

At an emergency special session held hours before the conflict entered its second year, 141 member states voted in favour of the resolution, while seven countries, including Russia, Belarus, and North Korea, voted against it. India was among 32 countries that abstained from voting in the General Assembly.

 

The assembly demanded Moscow to withdraw from Kyiv “immediately”, with an appeal for the need to reach comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The 193-member General Assembly approved a draught resolution titled "Principles of the United Nations Charter Underpinning a Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace in Ukraine" proposed by Ukraine and its supporters.

 

Ruchira Kamboj, questioned the effectiveness of the UN and the Security Council in addressing contemporary challenges, pointing to the resolution's "inherent limitations" in explaining India's vote. She stated that India's approach to the Ukraine conflict would remain people centric. India is providing both humanitarian aid to Ukraine and economic assistance to some of its neighbours in the Global South who are experiencing economic hardship, despite rising food, fuel, and fertiliser prices.

 

"India remains steadfastly committed to multilateralism and upholds the principles of the UN Charter. We will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out. While we take note of the stated objective of today's Resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing a lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain," Kamboj said.

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