Russia attacks Ukraine: Modi tells Putin to end violence; Biden says US in talks with India

This is an important signal to the Western bloc which has been pressing on India to condemn the Russian action. US President Joe Biden has called it “unprovoked and unjustified attack Russian military forces” while British Prime Miner Boris Johnson has called it “barbaric” saying Putin’s hands were stained with Ukraine’s blood.
According to the Prime Miner’s Office, Putin “briefed Modi about the recent developments regarding Ukraine”.

“Prime Miner reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue. The Prime Miner appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue,” the PMO said.
After the call, in Washington, asked PTI if India was in sync with the US on the issue, US President Joe Biden said that “we are in consultations (with India) today, we haven’t resolved that yet.”

Significantly, for the first time, India is framing the conflict as one between Russia and what it calls the “NATO group”, not just Russia and Ukraine.
In a statement on the call late Thursday night, Kremlin said that Putin “outlined the fundamental assessments of Kiev’s aggressive actions against the civilian population of Donbass” and many years of a “destructive policy” meant to break the Minsk agreements. It added that Modi thanked Putin for the “clarification” and asked for assance in ensuring the security of Indian citizens in Ukraine. The Russian President said that “necessary instructions” would be given, the statement said.

While India has been advocating for diplomacy for a while, its call for “immediate cessation of violence” gives a signal to the West that Delhi is not in favour of war.
Sources said the fact that the “call” and the “appeal” for “cessation of violence” was first made to Putin rather than a Western leader also signals that it’s the Russian side that has initiated the war and it’s up to Putin to find a way out. This has been the position of the Western bloc led the US as well.
The PM’s call came after he chaired the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security with top miners including Defence Miner Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Miner S Jaishankar, and NSA Ajit Doval.
Ukrainian military track burns at an air defence base in the aftermath of an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine. (AP)
In his chat with Putin, Modi flagged concerns regarding the safety of Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students, and “conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return to India”.
The leaders agreed that their officials and diplomatic teams would continue to maintain regular contact on issues of topical interest, the PMO statement said.
So far, India had waited and watched. But, with the PM’s phone call to Putin, it has signalled to both sides its intent to dial down the temperature. Jaishankar also spoke to Russian Foreign Miner Sergey Lavrov and is expected to talk to his Ukrainian counterpart as well.

Before the call, New Delhi’s only statement came at 8.36 am () Thursday, around the same time the attacks started, in which it expressed “regret” – a notch higher than expressing “concern” but stopping short of condemnation.
Earlier, Jaishankar got calls from European Union’s High Representative on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (equivalent to Foreign Miner) and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in which, it is learnt, they tried to lean on Delhi.
In New Delhi, German Ambassador Walter J Lindner tweeted: “Ambassadors of G7 countries & Ukraine (UKR) in Delhi met today to express their solidarity with people of UKR & to exchange information on Russia’s unjustifiable military aggression (GER currently holds G7 presidency). This is a moment to stand up for peace, rule-based order & international law!”
Police investigate the consequences of Russian shelling in Kyiv. (AP)
The G7 grouping has Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
India is also under pressure to take a stronger position at the UN Security Council, which is discussing a draft resolution the Western bloc.
While there is concern about Russia’s “muscle-flexing” and external intervention in national matters, New Delhi does not want to jeopardise the close military ties with Moscow.
India’s top diplomat at the UN — reading from a prepared script — expressed “regret” and said that the “situation is in danger of spiralling into a major crisis”.
Minutes later, explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and the eastern port city of Mariupol, according to AFP.
Speaking at the UNSC meeting, India’s Permanent Representative at the UN T S Tirumurti said: “However, we note with regret, that the calls of the international community to give time to the recent initiatives undertaken parties to defuse tensions were not heeded to. The situation is in danger of spiraling into a major crisis. We express our deep concern over the developments, which if not handled carefully, may well undermine the peace and security of the region.”
He called for “immediate de-escalation and refraining from any further action that could contribute to a worsening of the situation”.
The West views this statement as condoning Russia’s actions and applying double standards given that India raises the issue of “territorial integrity and sovereignty” when it comes to China.
India’s strategic ties with Russia and its dependence for military supplies — 60-70 per cent of India’s military hardware is of Russian-origin – is extremely crucial at a time when India has an ongoing border standoff with China.
Meanwhile, China Thursday called for restraint on all sides while saying the military operation should not be described as an “invasion”.
“China is closely watching the latest situation, and we call on all parties to maintain restraint and prevent the situation from getting out of control,” Foreign Minry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Hua dodged questions on whether China was in contact with Russian and Ukrainian leaders. “The Ukraine issue has a very complicated horical background” and was the result of “various factors,” she said.
China has blamed the United States and its Western allies in recent weeks for “hyping up” the crisis, with Hua saying at an earlier briefing that the US was “adding fuel to the fire.”
In contrast, India has asked “all sides” to intensify diplomatic efforts towards an amicable solution at the earliest. “We call on all parties to exert greater efforts to bridge divergent interests. I would like to underline that the legitimate security interests of all parties should be fully taken into account,” Tirumurti said.