RUSSIA/INDIA: In a draught resolution that was presented to the UN Security Council, India chose not to vote in favour of it. The resolution denounced Russia’s “illegal referenda” and annexation of four Ukrainian territories called for an immediate end to violence and emphasised the need to find a way to resume negotiations.
On Friday, the United States and Albania presented a draught resolution condemning Russia for “organising illegal so-called referendums in regions within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.” The 15-nation UN Security Council then voted on the measure.
The resolution states that Russia’s “illegal actions” about the “illegal so-called referenda” held on September 23 to 27, this year in portions of Ukraine’s regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia that are temporarily under Russian control can have “no validity” and cannot serve as the foundation for any change to the status of these regions of Ukraine, including any “purported annexation” of any of these regions by Moscow.
Only dialogue can resolve differences
Russia’s veto prevented the resolution from being adopted. Ten of the fifteen members of the Council supported the resolution, while China, Gabon, India, and Brazil abstained.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, stated in her explanation of the vote that her country was extremely worried by the current turn of events in Ukraine and that New Delhi has long argued that no solution should ever be reached at the expense of human life.
“We implore all parties involved to exert all possible effort toward an immediate end to hostilities and bloodshed. The only way to resolve disagreements and conflicts is through dialogue, no matter how difficult it may seem right now,” she concluded.
She said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “unequivocally stated” this in his conversations with foreign leaders, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that “the route to peace demands us to keep all lines of communication open.”
Additionally, she cited remarks made on Ukraine during the high-level General Assembly session last week by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar.
Referring to Modi’s statement to Putin that “today’s era is not an era of war” during the SCO Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Kamboj said New Delhi truly wishes for an early resumption of peace talks to result in an immediate ceasefire and end to the violence.
“India has maintained a definite and unwavering stand throughout the whole conflict. The tenets of the UN Charter, international law, and respect for every state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity serve as the global order’s foundation. No one has an interest in the rhetoric or tension escalating,” she spoke.
“Finding a method to get back to the negotiating table is essential. India opted to abstain on the resolution in light of the overall state of the situation as it was emerging,” said Kamboj.
Russia’s “unlawful actions” must not be accepted.
Putin, the President of Russia, announced the annexation of the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia on Friday.
The statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that “any annexation of a state’s territory by another state stemming from the threat or use of force is a breach of the principles of the UN Charter and international law” was followed by the announcement the next day.
According to Guterres, “any decision to move on with the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and ought to be denounced.”
It is incompatible with the rules of international law. It contradicts all that the global community is supposed to stand for. It disregards the objectives and tenets of the UN. It’s a risky escalation. In the contemporary world, it has no place. The UN chief emphasised that it must not be accepted.
As a result of Russia’s “illegal actions” regarding the illegitimate so-called referenda held on September 23–27, the resolution also calls on all States, international organisations, and specialised agencies to refrain from any action or dealing that could be interpreted as recognising any altered status of Ukraine’s regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, or Zaporizhzhia.
To facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through political dialogue, negotiation, mediation, or other peaceful means, it is also decided that Russia shall “immediately, completely, and unconditionally” withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine’s territory within its internationally recognised borders, including those regions addressed by the “illegal so-called referenda.”
Also Read: Vladimir Putin Proclaimed Russia’s Annexation of a Swathe of Ukraine
