External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sept 10 asserted that India’s stand on the war between Russia and Ukraine “rests on some postulates” and emphasised that differences can only be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, not war, and that negotiations are the only way forward. The remarks by EAM came while he was addressing a joint press conference with German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock.

Addressing the press conference, Jaishankar said, “Minister Baerbock and I regularly talk about Ukraine. We are talking about this time in person. But from time to time, we speak on the phone or otherwise.” He added, “In the last two-and-a-half years, in different ways, India has had some involvement with various specific initiatives, the green corridor, matters relating to the security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station and some other discussions.

“Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Jaishankar added, “This year, PM Modi went to Russia in July. He met President ZelenskyY in Italy in June and then he went to Kyiv in August. And in both, Moscow and Kyiv, he had fairly detailed long discussions with the two Presidents.” EAM Jaishankar, during the joint press conference, further said that a lot of things were said during the discussions and asserted that “India’s position on the ongoing war rests on some postulates.

“Elaborating on the postulates, he said, “We don’t believe that differences and disputes can be settled through war. This is not the era of war; We don’t believe in this conflict and a solution will come from the battlefield. So we do think that negotiations are the only way forward. At some point, there has to be negotiations. When there is a discussion, we also think that it is essential to have Russia in it unless the discussions don’t gain further moment.”

Video: ANI

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