Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar engaged in separate telephone calls with Russian partner Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, insisting that dialogue and diplomacy are the most effective way to end tensions in the Ukraine crisis.
The full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine caused widespread condemnation and concerns of a more significant crisis; India has been in contact with all parties involved as part of the overall efforts to ease the tensions.
READ MORE: Ukraine-Russia war: India plans to evacuate its citizens via these alternative routes.
In his discussions with Lavrov, Jaishankar conveyed to Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the most effective method to resolve the situation.
“Just talked to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the Ukraine developments. He stressed that diplomacy and dialogue are the best paths forward,” the External Affairs Minister tweeted.
Jaishankar is also believed to have informed Lavrov on the value India attaches to the secure evacuation of some 16,000 Indians from Ukraine.
In a second Tweet, Jaishankar said the discussion with Blinken focused on the current events in Ukraine and their implications.
“Appreciate this call by @SecBlinken. We discussed the current developments in Ukraine and the implications for Ukraine,” he said.
The US State Department said Blinken had a conversation in a meeting with Jaishankar about Russia’s “premeditated, unprovoked, unrepentant, and not justified” strike on Ukraine.
“Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of a united and strong response to denounce Russia’s incursion and demanded an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal,” it said.
Jaishankar also spoke with the EU high representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on the evolving situation in Ukraine.
“A phone conversation between UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and me. The two exchanged perspectives regarding Ukraine,” he tweeted. Ukrainian circumstances,” he tweeted.
In the wake of the Russian attack on Ukraine, India underlined the need for dialogue between principal parties and stated that it would be more than willing to facilitate discussion.
Foreign Minister Harsh Vardhan Shringla stated at an event for journalists on the evening of Thursday that India is in “close contact” with all parties concerned, with Russia, the US, Russia, and the European Union as it has a “stake” on the continent.
“We have been arguing that the parties must communicate with one another. Parties should be in contact, and if there’s something we could do to assist in the engagement of both parties, we’ll be willing to help. We strive to help as much as we can,” Shringla said.
Regarding Western sanctions against Russia, the foreign minister said that certain unilateral sanctions already existed and that additional sanctions are now being implemented.
“But it is an ever-changing situation, as I stated earlier, and we must determine the consequences these sanctions can affect our concerns. It is imperative to be aware of this because any sanctions could affect our current relationship. It would be appropriate to consider the significance of this issue,” he said.
