India on Saturday abstained from voting on the US-sponsored UNSC resolution that “deplores in strongest terms” the country’s “aggression” against Ukraine demanding an immediate withdrawal of troops.
The resolution failed as expected because of Moscow’s veto power as a permanent member of the council. Eleven of the fifteen members voted for the motion cowritten by United States and Albania. India, China, and UAE abstained from the vote.
India’s Permanent Representative at UN, T.S Tirumurti explained the vote. He stated India’s position as being disturbed by the recent developments at Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation of violence.
The same message was conveyed by Narendra Modi to Russian President Valdimir Putin on the phone call on Thursday.
“No solution can ever be arrived at the cost of human lives,” Tirumurti said.
He also underlined India’s concerns about the security and welfare of the Indian community and the large numbers of Indian students in Ukraine.
“The contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,”
Tirumuti stated.
“All member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forward.”
Tirumuti asked the countries to engage in dialogue as it was the only way to resolve the differences and settle the dispute.
“It is a matter of regret that the path of diplomacy was given up. We must return to it. For all these reasons, India has chosen to abstain on this Resolution,” he said.
T S Tirumuti tweeted the nine point explanation of the vote on Twitter.
Even though the no resolution was reached regarding the matter of Russia’s assault on its neighbour as expected, the debate offered the chamber an opportunity to voice their condemnation of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion on Ukraine.
US Ambassador to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield made it clear after the vote,
“Russia, you can veto this resolution, but you cannot veto our voices, you cannot veto the truth, you cannot veto our principles, you cannot veto the Ukrainian people.”
Russia, is currently holding the rotating Security Council presidency. It will also likely face another vote on a similar resolution before the wider UN General Assembly which could be passed by a substantial margin, although it would be non-binding.
Britain’s ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward also strongly said, “Make no mistake, Russia is isolated. It has no support for the invasion of Ukraine.”
Before the vote, Thomas-Greenfield described the attack as “so bold, so brazen, that it threatens our international system as we know it.
“We have a solemn obligation to not look away… At the very minimum, we have an obligation to object,” she said.
China and UAE also abstain from the vote
China’s Ambassador at UN Zhang Jun abstained from voting on the matter of Russia Ukraine conflict saying that they were
“We believe that one country’s security cannot be at the expense of the security of others, and that regional security should not rely on muscling up or even expanding military blocs. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be respected.
Against the backdrop of five successive rounds of NATO’s eastward expansion, Russia’s legitimate security aspirations should be given attention and properly addressed.”
The UAE, in its explanation, also supported the resolution’s emphasis on the need to adhere to the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, which was more in line with India’s explanation.
It reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of all member states of the United Nations, which was again a part of the UNSC resolution.
“The result of this vote today was a forgone conclusion, but the avenues for dialogue must remain open more urgently than ever before, and we must pursue them together,” the UAE diplomat told the Council.
US understands that India’s relationship with Russia is different
Biden administration spokesperson Ned Price said in a daily news conference on 25th Febuary that US understand that India’s relationship with Russia is distinct than that of them and that is okay.
He underlined that the US government has reached out to every country that has leverage with Moscow to use it to protect rules-based international order.
“We share important interests with India. We share important values with India. And we know India has a relationship with Russia that is distinct from the relationship that we have with Russia. Of course, that is okay,” said Price.
“India has a relationship with Russia that we certainly don’t have. India and Russia have a relationship, including in the defence and security sector, that we don’t have … we have asked every country that has a relationship and certainly those countries that have leverage to use that leverage in a constructive way,” he said in response to a question.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine on the night of 23 February, 2022. Russia has launched multiple attacks on several areas in central and eastern Ukraine, drawing widespread condemnation and sanctions from several countries, including the US.
