Jaishankar Says India Shouldn't Be Unfairly Targeted In View of Ukraine War
Jaishankar Says India Shouldn't Be Unfairly Targeted In View of Ukraine War
M.U.H
31/08/202515
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar told his Finnish counterpart in a telephonic conversation that India should not be unfairly targeted in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, as New Delhi has always advocated dialogue and diplomacy.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, "Had a telecon today with Finnish Foreign Minister. Our discussions centred around the Ukraine conflict and its ramifications. India should not be unfairly targeted in that context. We have always advocated dialogue and diplomacy."
The development comes on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping after seven years, held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of his scheduled meeting tomorrow with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin.
Issuing a statement after speaking to PM Modi, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked him for offering condolence over the recent attacks on its soil and wrote, "I spoke with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. I informed about the talks with President Trump in Washington with the participation of European leaders... Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness for a meeting with the head of Russia. Almost two weeks have passed, and during this time, when Russia should have been preparing for diplomacy, Moscow has given no positive signal – only carried out cynical strikes on civilian targets and killed dozens of our people.
"I thank the Prime Minister for his words of condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. We coordinated our positions ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit... India is ready to make the necessary efforts and to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders during the meetings on the sidelines of the summit... I will be glad to meet the Prime Minister in the near future," Zelenskyy said.
India Maintained Humanitarian Stance On Russia-Ukraine Conflict: PM Modi
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India has maintained a principled and humanitarian stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a position that is "equally appreciated" by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He made the remarks during an interview with Japanese news outlet 'The Yomiuri Shimbun' during his visit to the country.
"India has maintained a principled and humanitarian stance on the conflict which is equally appreciated by both President Putin and President Zelenskyy. In line with this, both the leaders spoke to me to share their perspectives on the developments related to the conflict. I reiterated India's principled and consistent stand and encouraged dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict," the Prime Minister said.
Responding to a question on what role India envisions in peace efforts between the two nations, PM Modi said, "I have already indicated India's willingness to support meaningful efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution of the conflict. I believe, by virtue of our good relations with both sides, including key stakeholders, we can strengthen efforts dedicated to the restoration of an early and lasting peace in Ukraine."
This comes at a time when India is facing 50 per cent tariffs from the United States for purchasing Russian oil, with the US administration accusing New Delhi of "funding the war" by trading with Moscow.
India has strongly criticised Washington for what it called "unjustified and unreasonable" tariffs on Indian goods, after the Trump administration raised duties to over 50 per cent as a penalty for India's continued oil trade with Russia.
