The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, held a telephonic conversation with India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and stressed a “strong collective response to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

In a tweet, Blinken said: “Spoke with @DrSJaishankar today about the crisis in Ukraine and the importance of a strong collective response to Russian aggression. Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear violation of the rules-based international order.”

The call between the two leaders happened soon after the White House news conference by President Joe Biden.

Confirming the development, Jaishankar said in a tweet: “Appreciate the call from @SecBlinken. Discussed the ongoing developments in Ukraine and its implications.”

The Indian external affairs minister has also spoken to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in the early hours of Friday where he “underlined that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way forward”.

“Just spoke to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the Ukraine developments. Underlined that dialogue and diplomacy are the best way forward,” the external affairs minister tweeted.

In an earlier development, on Thursday night, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has appealed for an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue in conversation with Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

During the phone call, the Russian President briefed the PM about the recent developments regarding Ukraine; while Modi, on his part, sensitised Putin about India’s concerns regarding the safety of Indian citizens (in Ukraine), especially students , and conveyed that India “attaches highest priority to their safe exit and return”, a statement issued by the MEA said.

“PM appealed for an immediate cessation of violence and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue,” the statement added.

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