India clarified that its procedural vote on Wednesday to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was not a vote against Russia.
Responding to a media question, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi noted that this was the “third occasion” that India has supported a procedural vote to allow Zelensky to address the Council. He emphasised, “There’s no question of us voting against Russia in anyway.”
Corroborating Bagchi’s point, India supported Zelensky’s participation at UNSC sessions in both April and June.
"We have not voted against anyone", says MEA Spox pointing that it was a vote to allow President Zelenskyy to speak at UNSC. pic.twitter.com/KFyTqtUL8m
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) August 25, 2022
However, despite Bagchi’s insistence that India did not vote against Russia, on Wednesday, which marked the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, it joined 12 other UNSC members in voting against Russia’s proposal to prevent Zelensky from addressing the Council. Meanwhile, China abstained and Russia voted in favour of the resolution.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, claimed that Moscow only opposes Zelensky’s participation as a matter of “principle,” arguing that he should not be allowed to take part virtually. Nebenzia asserted that Russia does not oppose Ukraine’s in-person participation but that virtual attendance was an “informal” arrangement made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this respect, he argued that the Council could no longer make an exception for a single country.
In response, Albania’s representative, Ferit Hoxha, defended Zelensky, saying that he “cannot leave the country for reasons beyond his control” and that the UNSC procedure should accommodate this. In a veiled dig at Russia, Hoxha added, “We all know what those reasons are.”
Several Indian media outlets reported that the vote marked the first time India has gone against Russia in the United Nations during the six-month war. According to a source cited by the Times of India, this was the first time Russia attempted to block Ukraine from virtually participating in the meeting and “there was no way” New Delhi could support Moscow, as Zelensky had previously addressed the UNSC virtually.
#IndiainUNSC
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) August 24, 2022
In the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in #Ukraine, Ambassador @RuchiraKamboj, Permanent Representative made the following statement ⤵️@MEAIndia @IndiainUkraine pic.twitter.com/T0Ls7Jokm1
After Russia’s motion was rejected, Zelensky addressed the UNSC and said, “If Moscow is not stopped now, then all these Russian murderers will inevitably end up in other countries.” He added that Russia must be forced to “recognise that the inviolability of borders and peace are unconditional values.”
Meanwhile, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ruchika Kamboj, reiterated New Delhi’s call for talks between the two countries. Kamboj regretted the loss of lives—including those of women, children, and the elderly—and the impact of the war on food security and fuel availability. She added that it is in the international community’s “collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to this conflict.”
She highlighted that India country has dispatched 12 consignments, or 97.5 tonnes, of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including 26 types of medicines. India has also sent humanitarian aid to neighbouring countries like Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, and Poland, which are taking in Ukrainian refugees. Kamboj further noted that India has scaled up the production of fertilisers amid global shortages.
A day before the vote, Kamboj also stressed the importance of “ensuring the safety and security” of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, referring to the increasingly volatile situation in Zaporizhzhia.
#IndiainUNSC
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) August 23, 2022
In the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in #Ukraine, Ambassador @RuchiraKamboj, Permanent Representative made the following statement ⤵️@MEAIndia @IndiainUkraine pic.twitter.com/f77idkiUEF
Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India has resisted significant pressure from Western countries, particularly the United States and members of the European Union, and maintained neutrality in the conflict. Without specifically referring to Russia, it has called all countries to respect international law as well as the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other countries.
India has by and large refused to go against Russia in the UN. For instance, in February, it abstained from a UNSC vote calling on Russia to end its military invasion of Ukraine. Likewise, in April, it abstained from a vote in calling for Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council.
India has also courted criticism for purchasing discounted oil from Russia, both from Ukraine and its allies.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told India that each barrel of Russian oil has a “good portion of Ukrainian blood in it.”
However, India has maintained that it has a “moral duty” to secure the “best deal” for the country. It has also taken aim at Europe’s hypocrisy for pressuring India to take a stand on the Ukraine war, comparing New Delhi’s relatively insignificant import of Russian oil to Europe’s overwhelming reliance on Russian gas.