"Both Sides Can Come Together, Find Peace": Centre On Russia-Ukraine War

India's position on the Russia-Ukraine war is very well known and has been conveyed at various levels, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

In a press briefing on Thursday, the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal said, "Our position is very well known."

"We have said this at various levels, at the highest levels that india desires that there be discussion, there be diplomacy, there be constant engagements so that both sides can come together and find peace," he added.

Mr Jaiswal's remarks came in response to a media query on the Russia-Ukraine conflict entering its third year.

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, recently questioned the United Nations Security Council for not being able to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that has continued for over two years.

Calling for reforming "outdated and archaic structures", Kamboj, at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the situation in Ukraine, conveyed India's concerns while reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that "this is not an era of war".

During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) in Samarkand in 2022, PM Modi said, "This is not an era of war."

"At the present juncture, as the conflict has continued for two years unabated, we, the Committee of UN Member States, must pause and ask ourselves two pressing questions. One, are we anywhere near a possible acceptable solution? And if not, why is it that the UN system particularly its principal organ, the United Nations Security Council, is mandated to primarily maintain international peace and security? Why is it rendered completely ineffective to the resolution of the ongoing conflict?" Ms Kamboj said.

"For multilateralism to be effective, outdated and archaic structures need reform and reinvention, else their credibility will always be on the wane. And unless we fix that systemic flaw, we will continue to be found wanting," she said.

India's Permanent envoy to the UN added that the member states must remain focussed on shared objectives to achieve development goals. She stressed that member states should aim for more cooperation as they continue to make efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).

"I will reiterate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that 'this is not an era of war'. We must remain focused on our shared objectives to achieve our development goals and the partnership and cooperation that we will need for achieving these," Ms Kamboj said.

Ever since the war erupted between Russia and Ukraine, India has called for resolving the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine. The operation has since grown to be the largest attack on a European nation since World War II.

Addressing a press conference, Premier Zelenskyy disputed Russian claims of much higher numbers when it comes to Ukrainian casualties.

The Ukrainian President claimed "tens of thousands of civilians in occupied parts of the country" have been killed.

Ukraine's battlefield losses are a closely guarded secret, but US officials estimate that about 70,000 soldiers have been killed and nearly twice that number wounded, as reported by CNN.

The statement is significant as throughout the conflict, Kyiv has been hesitant to admit the number of soldiers the country has lost.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)