India 'strongly against' conflict escalating in Ukraine, says S Jaishankar

|HT|

India is strongly against the conflict escalating in Ukraine, Union minister for external affairs, S Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday in reply to the debate over the ongoing war. Responding to the questions regarding India's stand on Ukraine, Jaishankar said, “We are, first and foremost, strongly against the conflict. We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood & at the cost of innocent lives." “In this day and age, dialogue and diplomacy are the right answers to any disputes," the foregin minister also said in the lower house of the Parliament.

Speaking further, Jaishankar said that the conflict “has had significant consequences for the global economy and for our national economy." “Like all countries, we too are assessing the implications and deciding what is best for our national interest," he added.

On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha members took the ongoing war in between Russia and Ukraine for debate. Four union ministers - Hardeep Singh Puri , Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gen VK Singh - who went to countries neighbouring Ukriane as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special envoys during the evacuation effort also took part in the debate. After months of build up, Russia on February 24 launched a full blown invasion in Ukraine. It is demanding that the pro-European Union Kyiv to maintain neutrality status. The Moscoe has also asked Kyiv to not join the west's military alliance NATO.

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