India will not leave its neutral stance & take sides over the Ukraine Conflict: Indian MEA S Jaishankar

New Delhi: – The United States and western countries have started a spate of imposing sanctions against Russia, accusing it of the massacre at Bucha near the capital Kyiv. The Indian External Affairs Minister also denounced the Bucha massacre. But instead of holding Russia responsible for it, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has demanded an independent inquiry into the massacre. India has adopted a neutral stand without taking sides in the Ukraine conflict. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar made a suggestive statement in the Parliament that if at all India has to take sides, it will side with peace.

Moreover, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held telephonic talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. On the next day, while speaking in Parliament, the External Affairs Minister presented the Indian stand regarding Ukraine in measured words. Jaishankar asserted that India would maintain its non-aligned status and not take sides. At the same time, Jaishankar clarified that the government is making the efforts necessary to minimise the impact of the conflict on the Indian economy. The External Affairs Minister also informed that India supplies food grains and sugar to countries worst affected by the conflict. He pointed out that India supplies oil and food grain to Sri Lanka.

A few countries have demanded wheat and sugar from India. India is responding positively to the demands. The Deputy Prime Minister of conflict-torn Ukraine has demanded additional medicine supplies from India. The External Affairs Minister announced that this Ukrainian requirement would be fulfilled soon. While presenting the information, the External Affairs Minister drew attention to the fact that the Indian government rescued thousands of Indian students from Ukraine and this is an unprecedented event. Rescuing Indian citizens from conflict-torn Ukraine was a major challenge. Jaishankar said that other Ministries also took the initiative in this campaign and the Foreign Ministry and collectively, Operation Ganga was successfully completed.

The External Affairs Minister claimed that this Indian campaign was a motivation for other countries. The process to change the ’World Order’ has started in the last few years. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar noted during his speech in the Indian Parliament that this global system is going through further changes given the Coronavirus pandemic, the developments in Afghanistan and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

India will have to confront the changing global system with a self-reliant India outlook. Self-Reliant India is not only an economic policy. The External Affairs Minister said that a country taking care of its population and capable of executing a campaign like ‘Operation Ganga’ is an example of a Self-Reliant country. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has expressed satisfaction over the discussions held in both houses of the Parliament regarding the Ukraine conflict. The Prime Minister said that it is revealed from the talks in the Parliament that the country is united on the foreign policy front.