In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has decided to play safely in the procedural voting which was held at the UN assembly. The UN has conducted polls among its members on whether to go ahead with the discussion on this conflict or not.
Short note on conflict.
Russia has sent thousands of troops with the latest military equipment to the Ukraine-Russia border. This has led to disarray between Ukraine and Russia.
Keeping in mind the security concerns of Russia which could arise from Ukraine joining NATO, Russia has strongly objected to Ukraine joining NATO. However, this decision is widely opposed by the US and other NATO members.
Where does India stand on it?
India has formally declined to cast its vote on this issue as it may create diplomatic issues with the west and Russia. Any kind of misjudgment would put India’s relationship with other countries in jeopardy. India has to maintain good relations with U.S.S.R as it needs Russia as its diplomatic partner to deal with China. India buys 60 to 70 percent of its defense equipment from the USSR. In addition, Russia is the only source to talk to Afghanistan’s Taliban since they are backed by Pakistan. While on the other hand, India does not want to hurt Its western and European allies.
India’s response to this:
India’s Permanent Representative at the UNSC T S Tirumurti said, “India’s interest is in finding a solution that can provide for immediate de-escalation of tensions taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
The west had interpreted that India is inclined towards Russia as it mentioned “security interests of all countries”.
How did the voting go?
The council needs at least 9 votes to continue the meeting further.10 countries including the USA, UK, France, and Norway voted supporting the continuation of the discussions.
While India, Kenya, and Gabon have restrained themselves from voting, Russia and China voted against it.
How long may it take to solve this issue?
We opine Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may cause security threats to other neighbouring countries which include Poland, Belarus, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova as they have to share their border with a powerful country. Moscow will have easy access to western Europe that alarms the U.K, France, and Germany.
On the other hand, NATO-backed by the US will have easy missile access to Russia’s territory if they build a launch pad in Ukraine which will raise security issues and facilitate encroachment of missiles to its land.
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