At UNSC meet on Ukraine, India walks the tightrope

What is the News?

At the UN Security Council, India has played a tightrope walk on the Russia-Ukraine issue, with a slight tilt towards the Russian position.

What is the Russia-Ukraine Conflict?

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What had happened at the UNSC regarding the Russia-Ukraine issue?

The United States had requested an open meeting at the UN Security Council on the Russian military build-up at the Ukrainian border.

However, the Russians sought a vote on the decision to go ahead with the meeting. As per the UNSC working methods, nine votes were required for the meeting to go ahead as scheduled.

Ten countries voted in favour of having an open meeting on Ukraine, while China and Russia opposed. India, Gabon and Kenya abstained. 

What was India’s statement at the UNSC on the Russia-Ukraine issue?

India’s Permanent Representative statement at UNSC mentioned “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 mention of “legitimate security interests of all sides” was a recognition that Russia also had security concerns over the presence of NATO in its neighbourhood. Hence, it is widely perceived as somewhat aligned with Russian interests.

Further, there was no mention in the entire Indian statement about the Russian military build-up at the border, which has been cited as the trigger for the current crisis by the west.

Source: This post is based on the article “At UNSC meet on Ukraine, India walks the tightrope” published in Indian Express on 1st Feb 2022.