While speaking at an interactive session at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called out Europe’s hypocrisy for pressuring India to take a stand on the Ukraine war while remaining largely silent on the geopolitical and security challenges in Asia.
His remarks came in response to a question by Luxembourgian Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn, who enquired about how Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained the Ukraine invasion during his visit to New Delhi in March. Jaishankar replied that Russian officials had previously said that the military operation was designed to “de-Nazify” Ukraine and “prevent the genocide of Russians.”
EAM Jaishankar on Russian invasion of Ukraine: When rules based order was in danger in Asia, the advise we got from Europe was do more trade. Atleast we not advising u that.
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 26, 2022
Asselborn asserted that the invasion of Ukraine has violated the United Nations (UN) Charter and international law, to which Jaishankar retorted that only Russian officials can offer an explanation for the invasion. Furthermore, Jaishankar asked why India was being pushed to answer questions on Russia’s behalf, given that Russia has engaged with European officials far more than with India, both before and during the war.
India’s position on the Ukraine war:
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- US Warns India of “Significant Consequences” of Strategic Alignment With Russia
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- Lavrov Touts India as Mediator in Russia-Ukraine War During New Delhi Visit
- US Says India Won’t Be Sanctioned for Purchasing Discounted Russian Oil
- Russia Fails to Gather India’s Support for UNSC Resolution on Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis
- Biden Officials Warn India of “Consequences”, Impose Limits on Trade With Russia
- India, US Discuss Ukraine Crisis as Biden Calls Indian Response “Shaky”
- Modi Appears to Push Russia to Respect International Law in Meeting With UK PM Johnson
- Modi, Morrison Say Ukraine Crisis Should Not Shift Quad’s Focus From Indo-Pacific
- India “Happy to Take” Russia’s Lucrative Offer of Discounted Oil and Commodities
- India Expresses Frustration With Ukraine, Russia at UNSC, Demands Humanitarian Corridor
- Modi Urges Respect for Ukraine’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity Without Naming Russia
- Modi Dispatches Ministers to Europe, Vows to Assist Neighbours With Evacuation Efforts
- All You Need To Know: India’s Evacuation Efforts In Ukraine
- Modi Urges Putin to Cease Violence in Ukraine, Prioritises Safe Return of Indian Students
- India’s Position on the Ukraine Crisis: All You Need to Know
That being said, Jaishankar asserted that he stands ready to justify India’s position on the Ukraine war or any other issue of regional or international relevance. He reiterated that New Delhi continues to call for all parties to cease hostilities and return to dialogue and diplomacy. He stressed that the conflict will have no winners.
“I recognise that today the conflict in Ukraine is the dominant issue, if not amongst the dominant issues, of the day,” the top Indian diplomat remarked. He pointed out that the issue has global relevance, “not just in terms of principles and values alone, but also the practical consequences of it,” referring to rising energy prices, food inflation, and other disruptions.
The Indian EAM asserted that he understands why his European colleagues have focused on the Ukraine conflict “to the exclusion of almost everything else” but noted that New Delhi is taking a more inclusive and well-rounded approach.
Citing the example of the hasty withdrawal of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces from Afghanistan, which he said had completely destroyed its civil society, he questioned, “What part of the rules-based order justified what the world did there?”
Lashing out at the hypocrisy of Europe’s pressure on India to take a firmer stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar posited, “When rules-based order was being challenged in Asia, the advice we got from Europe was to do more trade. At least we are not giving you that advice.” Keeping this in mind, he urged his European counterparts to look at geopolitical concerns “in the right context.”
EAM @DrSJaishankar to speak at @raisinadialogue at 11 am IST. Ysty in response to Luxembourg FM on Russia-Ukraine conflict, EAM pointed,"When rules-based order was under challenge in Asia,the advice we got from Europe is- do more trade. At least we are not giving you that advice" pic.twitter.com/5qOy5RwCf2
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 27, 2022
Like Luxembourg, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt also raised concern about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and enquired about India’s “role in defending free societies globally.” Jaishankar retorted that India’s position on the Ukraine war remains “fairly clear,” as it has repeatedly called for an “urgent cessation of fighting” and the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
Along the same lines, former Swedish Prime Minister (PM) Carl Bildt warned Jaishankar that Russia’s acts in Ukraine could prospectively embolden China to “do things that are otherwise not allowed” in Asia.
Jaishankar, however, replied that his European colleagues have floated this argument on several occasions in the past two months. “Things have been happening in Asia for the last ten years. Now, Europe may not have looked at it, so this could be a wake-up call for Europe to also look at Asia,” Jaishankar opined.
Question to India's Foreign Minister Jaishankar at Raisina Dialogue: "How does India as the world's largest democracy deal with Russia's attack on Ukrainian democracy?" Answer: "All of us would like to find the right balance of our interests and values." Some answer. pic.twitter.com/jNAKzYxq8q
— Reinhard Bütikofer (@bueti) April 26, 2022
In a veiled reference to India’s ongoing border conflicts with Pakistan and China, the EAM stated that there are several Asian countries whose “boundaries have not been settled” and are infamous for state-sponsored terrorism. To this end, Jaishankar underlined that the rules-based order in Asia had been under threat long before the Ukraine conflict.
Moreover, he declared that Europe’s campaign to pressure countries to call out Russia’s actions in Ukraine is hypocritical, especially when considering the absence of such outrage when Afghanistan was “thrown under the bus” last year.
EAM lists key issues:
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 26, 2022
Afghanistan
Ukraine
Covid
Big power riverly
Though India has previously raised “concern” about the Ukraine conflict and called for the respect of international law, it has refused to describe the war as a Russian invasion or condemn Russia by name. New Delhi has also abstained from voting on resolutions in both the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Security Council that sought to condemn Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and called for a withdrawal of its troops. In fact, India has continued its trade relations with Russia by purchasing discounted oil and is even considering a Rupee-Ruble exchange mechanism to bypass sanctions against Russian financial institutions.