India has again suggested that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way forward to defuse the Ukraine crisis during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s telephonic conversations with his Russian and American counterparts late on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made similar observations during his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin a few hours earlier.“Just spoke to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the Ukraine developments. Underlined that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way forward,’’ the Minister tweeted. He also broached the importance India attached to the safe evacuation of around 16,000 Indians from Ukraine. PM Modi had also touched on the need to ensure the well-being of Indians stranded in Ukraine with Putin. The Indian Embassy in Kyiv has also written to the Ukrainian President’s Office on the need to ensure the well-being of an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 Indians in the country. Jaishankar has also spoken to the Foreign Ministers of neighbouring countries of Ukraine such as Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. Team of Russian-speaking diplomats has been sent to the land border crossing of these countries with Ukraine to facilitate the crossing of Indians. Countries like the US and Israel had a headstart in this respect while Tunisia and China are sending planes to neighbouring Poland to pick up their citizens who have already crossed. “Appreciate the call from Blinken. Discussed the ongoing developments in Ukraine and its implications,’’ he said in another social media post. The US State Department said Blinken discussed Russia’s “premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified” attack on Ukraine. “Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of a strong collective response to condemn Russia’s invasion and call for an immediate withdrawal and ceasefire,’’ it said.Jaishankar had also spoken to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to exchange perspectives on the Ukrainian situation.
