Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has said that India has a clear position on the conflict in Ukraine, which has been well articulated, and has been emphasising on the urgent need for fighting to stop and a return to diplomacy. 

“... we have a position which emphasises the urgent cessation of fighting, which urges a return to diplomacy and dialogue which stresses the need for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” he said speaking at the Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday.

Responding to Western countries’ emphasis on the Ukraine crisis, the Minister said that it was no doubt important as it had implications for all countries across the world, including Asia and Africa, but there were equally pressing issues in other parts of the world, such as the Afghanistan crisis, that needed attention.

“I recognise that Ukraine conflict is a dominant issue. It is dominant issue not in terms of principles and values but also because of the practical consequences and the knock on effects.  In this part of the world, also in Africa and rest of Asia…people are seeing the conflict play out in terms of higher energy prices, food inflation, disruptions of various kinds. The truth is, nobody wants to see this conflict. There will be no winners from this conflict,” he said.

Ukraine conflict

The Minister said that he understood that the Ukraine conflict may occupy European countries to the exclusion of everything else, but other things were also happening in the world. “There are equally pressing issues in other parts of the world. I mentioned Afghanistan. I mentioned challenges faced in Asia,” he said. 

Countries would like to find the right balance of their beliefs and interests and their experiences, and that is what all really try to do, Jaishanker said. “It looks different from different parts of the world. The priorities are different and that’s quite natural,” he added.

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