India ‘strongly against’ conflict in Ukraine, if chosen side, it is side of peace: Jaishankar in Lok Sabha

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while addressing the Lok Sabha in reply to a debate over the ongoing war, said on Wednesday India is strongly against the conflict escalating in the war-torn country.

Responding to the questions regarding India’s stand, Jaishankar said, “We are, first and foremost, strongly against the conflict. We believe no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives.” The foreign minister also said, “In this day and age, dialogue and diplomacy are the right answers to any disputes.”

He further said that India was deeply disturbed by the reports of killings in Bucha and stated that India supported the call for an independent investigation.

India’s ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday condemned the killings in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha at the Security Council meet.

TS Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said reports of the killings were “deeply disturbing”.

Without naming Russia, Tirumurti said, “We unequivocally condemn these killings and support the call for an open investigation.”

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.

He said, “contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, on respect for international law and for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states”.

“If India has chosen a side, it is the side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,” the foreign minister told the House.

Four Union Ministers - Hardeep Singh Puri, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia and General VK Singh - who went to countries bordering Ukraine as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special envoys to help evacuate over 22,000 Indians stranded in the eastern European nation, were also present in the House.