External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday called for a diplomatic approach to resolve the situation in Ukraine, stating that “one has to look at ways of reconciling”.
More than 100,000 troops have been amassed by Russia near Ukraine’s borders, triggering fears of an invasion, and Moscow demanded legally binding guarantees from Washington and NATO that Ukraine will not be allowed to join the military bloc. The US and NATO have refused to make such pledges
Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar said that the current situation was different from the Cold War.
“It’s very different. We are far more globalized, inter-penetrable.. situation calls for a very different kind of approach... At the end of the day, diplomacy is the answer. One has to look at ways of reconciling,” he said.
India has maintained that the situation in Ukraine can be resolved only through diplomatic dialogue that leads to an immediate de-escalation of tensions while ensuring the “legitimate security interests of all countries”. It has refrained from any criticism of the actions of Russia, a key strategic partner, on the border with Ukraine in the face of repeated assertions by the US and its allies about the likelihood of a Russian invasion