India has abstained all its votes so far on the Ukraine crisis at the UN General Assembly elections since Russia has launched the invasion.Indias envoy to the United Nations said the action wasnt enough to accomplish the objective of a long-lasting peace and was one of 32 nations who abstained as the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Friday calling for an end to the war in Ukraine.At an emergency special session just hours before the conflict entered its second year, 141 member states voted in favour of the resolution, while seven nations, including Russia, Belarus, and North Korea, abstained. India, Sri Lanka, China, Bangladesh, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh did not participate in the vote.The resolution urged all parties to step up diplomatic efforts to bring about a comprehensive, and long-lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the Charter. The United Nations has denounced the aggression since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, through a number of resolutions in the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Human Rights Council, and has reaffirmed Ukraines commitment to sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity.India in favour of peace and diplomacyIndia has stayed away from UN resolutions on Ukraine and has consistently underlined the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. India has also urged that all efforts be made for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an immediate return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.Last September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while addressing a high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly, had said that India is in favour of peace and dialogue and diplomacy in this conflict. In order to quickly resolve this disagreement, Jaishankar had stated that it was in everyones best interests to work together both inside and outside the United Nations.Dialogue and diplomacy the only way: JaishankarIndia External affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, “As the Ukraine conflict continues, we are often asked whose side we are on and our answer, each time straight and honest, is that India is for peace and will remain firmly on that side. We are on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles. We are on the side that talks and diplomacy are the only way forward. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called the emergency special session of the resumed General Assembly Said Russias invasion of Ukraine was “an insult to our collective conscience” and said it was “high time” to back out of the dangerous situation.We remain committed to multilateralism: Indias Envoy to UNRuchira Kamboj, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, reiterated calls for dialogue and diplomacy while stating that India remains committed to multilateralism. She said this in response to Indias decision to abstain from the UNGA vote on a resolution calling for a comprehensive, just, and long-lasting peace in Ukraine.“India remains steadfastly committed to multilateralism and upholds the principles of the UN Charter. We will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out. While we take note of the stated objective of todays Resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain,” she said.Kamboj also stated that Indias approach against Ukraine will always be people-centric. She also said that we will continue to provide the economic support and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine to neighbours in the Global South.Notably, 141 nations voted in favour of the resolution, while 32, including China and India, abstained, and seven voted against it at the United Nations General Assembly.
