Ukraine conflict is a wake-up call for European nations: Indian MEA S Jaishankar

New Delhi – India, which is refusing to go against Russia while the Ukraine conflict is going on, will have to face the consequences in the coming times. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said that strong cooperation had been established between Russia and China. Bildt posed this question to the Indian External Affairs Minister during the Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar gave a fitting reply to the question. ‘The western countries have come to realise the situation in the Asian continent now, because of the Ukraine conflict. But many developments have taken place in Asia over the last ten years. They cannot be linked directly to the Ukraine conflict.’

Moreover, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar showed the mirror to the westerners saying that the Ukraine conflict became a wake-up call for the European countries. The United States contends that India not adopting a stand against Russia in the Ukraine conflict is like supporting Russia. The western allies of the United States also are levelling the same allegation against India. The former Swedish Prime Minister raised the issue during the Raisina Dialogue, posing a question on the Indian stand in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Former Swedish Prime Minister tried to point out that there would be consequences of the pro-Russia stand adopted by India given the close cooperation developed between Russia and China. But Jaishankar retorted that the Chinese anti-India stand and the activities in the Indo-Pacific have not started today. They have been going on for the last ten years. But the western countries were not willing to pay any attention.

Jaishankar pointed out that everyone is speaking about Ukraine. But we have seen what happened in Afghanistan a year ago. The entire civic system in Afghanistan has collapsed. The western countries chose to ignore while an Asian country was being destroyed. Jaishankar rightly put his finger on the pretence that after the Ukraine conflict, the Westerners suddenly felt concerned about the developments in the Asian continent. In other words, Jaishankar pointed out that the claims made by the western countries are limited only to safeguarding their interests.

The Ukraine conflict has become a wake-up for Europe. Jaishankar lambasted that Europe should be more alert and look at Asia with seriousness in the future. A few weeks ago, the same tone emerged during discussions in the meeting between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi and Qatar made vitriolic criticism that the western countries are finding the Ukraine issue the biggest. But the same western countries did not give any importance to the devastation of Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. But the western countries are susceptible regarding Ukraine.