India reaffirmed its call for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine during a debate at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, voiced concern over the conflict’s collateral consequences, including surging fuel prices that have left the Global South struggling.
India Backs Peace Efforts After Trump-Putin Summit
Harish expressed support for peace initiatives following the August 15 summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
“We endorsed the Summit meeting in Alaska. We appreciate the progress made at the Alaska Summit,” he said, describing the development as a promising step toward resolving the conflict.
Harish said PM Narendra Modi’s outreach to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin, and European leaders enhances the prospects of peace.
He reiterated India’s readiness to support any diplomatic initiative aimed at ending the conflict. Zelensky, who spoke to Modi before he met with Putin, said he was prepared for direct talks with the Russian leader.
Three days after meeting Putin, Trump briefed Zelensky and European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The European leaders cautiously endorsed Trump’s outreach and worked on a blueprint for a post-war peace framework.
Harish highlighted the economic pain inflicted on developing nations.
“Countries of the Global South have been left to fend for themselves,” he said, stressing the need for their voices to be heard.
He underscored India’s people-centric approach, which combines humanitarian aid to Ukraine with economic support to vulnerable partners in the Global South.
US and Ukraine Express Mixed Views
Acting US Permanent Representative Dorothy Shea praised Trump’s diplomatic push but questioned Russia’s sincerity after it launched one of its largest aerial attacks on Ukraine shortly after the summit.
“Strikes on civilian areas must stop immediately,” she said.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa ruled out any territorial concessions, insisting Crimea and all occupied regions remain sovereign Ukrainian territory.
“These are the starting points for genuine peace,” she asserted.
Russia’s UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya countered that the captured territories were historically Russian and dismissed Ukraine’s position as ‘politically motivated’.
He insisted Moscow would not give them up.
Harish concluded that lasting peace requires the ‘wholehearted participation’ of all stakeholders. Reiterating Prime Minister Modi’s earlier message to Putin, he said, “This is not an era of war.”
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