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Our Position on Ukraine Conflict Not ‘Unbalanced’: India Reacts to Kiev’s Charge

© Photo : video screenshotIndian MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi
Indian MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi - Sputnik India, 1920, 13.04.2023
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During her address at the government-backed think tank Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on 12 April, Ukraine's foreign minister reportedly claimed that “some of India’s actions demonstrate unbalanced position”.
The Indian foreign ministry has refused to agree with Kiev’s broader assessment about New Delhi’s position on the Ukraine crisis, after the country’s first deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova concluded her two-day visit to India this week.
“Our position on the conflict in Ukraine has been articulated many times. I don’t know that the word unbalanced is something we have worked with. We have certainly worked towards peace, stressing dialogue and diplomacy,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a media briefing on Thursday.
Bagchi, however, said he would rather not directly respond to a “specific word without knowing the full context”.
G20 Conference in New Delhi - Sputnik India, 1920, 12.04.2023
G-20 Summit in New Delhi
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On Wednesday, Dzhaparova suggested that India should be “pragmatic and balanced” in its approach towards the crisis, despite New Delhi’s consistent calls for dialogue and diplomacy as the way out of the Ukraine conflict.

Meanwhile, New Delhi has ramped up its crude oil imports from Russia, which now ranks as its biggest energy supplier, amid global volatility in prices caused by Western efforts to phase out Russian commodities from global supply chains, drawing the ire of the US and its allies, who have slapped comprehensive sanctions on Moscow since February last year.
The trade between India and Russia hit a record high of $35 billion last year, with both the governments vowing to diversify the trade basket.

No Plans to Invite Zelensky to G-20 Summit

Bagchi on Thursday also confirmed that the guest list for the G20 events under the ongoing Indian presidency has already been drawn up and there was “nothing new to add.
He was responding to calls by the Ukrainian delegate, who during her visit, urged the Indian authorities to allow Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to speak at the summit in New Delhi in September.
Although Ukraine isn’t part of G-20, but Zelensky was allowed to speak at the summit last year under the Indonesian presidency.
This year, two meetings of G20 Finance Ministers and Foreign Ministers concluded without a joint communique due to difference in positions among west and Russia on the Ukraine crisis.
President Volodymyr Zelensky wearing 'Ukraine or Death' patch during photo op visit to country's east. - Sputnik India, 1920, 11.04.2023
India Balks at Hosting Ukraine's Zelensky at G20 in New Delhi: Report
New Delhi has also said that there are no plans as of now for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to visit Ukraine, as proposed by Dzhaparova to Indian officials.
“If there is a visit to Ukraine by any leader here, I will certainly announce that,” Bagchi underlined.
Doval has held several meetings with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev in New Delhi and Moscow since last February. During these meetings, both the sides have vowed to further bolster security cooperation between the countries.

‘Ukraine Wants to Utilize India’s G20 Presidency’ to Advance Its Own Agenda

Meanwhile, Indian social media users have been voicing their concerns about heeding to Kiev’s demands on New Delhi.
“Ukraine was very critical when we abstained during the United Nations vote . Now they just want to utilise India's presidency of the G-20 for their own purpose. Zelensky has not said anything in India's favour,” a social media user noted.
Another user underscored that Zelensky, if he is invited to the summit, would misuse the opportunity to “spew venom against Russia”, which wasn’t in the larger interest of overall India-Russia ties.
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