(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Ukraine conflict does not serve anybody’s interests, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said after a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra on Monday.
The two participated in the 13th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, where they also discussed the Ukraine conflict and their repercussions.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart, EAM Jaishankar, however, declined to comment on whether India would support a United Nations General Assembly motion condemning Moscow’s annexation of Ukrainian territories.
“We have been very clearly against the conflict in Ukraine. We believe that this conflict does not serve the interests of anybody. Neither the participants nor indeed of the international community,” Jaishankar said in response to a question.
On whether India would support the UN motion condemning Moscow’s annexation of four Ukraine regions, he stated, “As a matter of prudence and policy, we don’t predict our votes in advance.”
Australian Foreign Minister Wong said she welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words to Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. “As Prime Minister Modi has told Mr. Putin, this is not the time for war,” she pointed out.
Responding to another question related to India being a major market for weapons manufactured in Russia, EAM Jaishankar said India’s relationship with Russia had “certainly served our interests well”.
One of the reasons India was so heavily reliant on Russian arms was that “for multiple decades Western countries did not supply weapons to India and in fact saw a military dictatorship next to us as the preferred partner,” Jaishankar said, referring to Pakistan.
(India News Network )
