Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India abstains from UNSC resolution on Russia's 'aggression' against Ukraine

India abstains from UNSC resolution on Russia's 'aggression' against Ukraine

INDIA abstained on a US-sponsored UN Security Council resolution that condemned Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine and demanded "immediate, complete and unconditional" withdrawal of Russian forces from the neighbouring country.

The UN Security Council voted on Friday (25) on the draft resolution sponsored by the US and Albania and supported by several other nations including Poland, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Luxembourg and New Zealand.


Eleven countries voted in favour of the resolution while three countries - India, China and the UAE abstained.

A permanent member of the Security Council, Russia used its veto power blocking the resolution, as expected, but Western nations said the resolution seeks to show Moscow's isolation on the global stage for its invasion and actions against Ukraine.

All eyes were on how India will cast its vote on the resolution given that New Delhi has strong defence ties with Moscow.

During a telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday (24), prime minister Narendra Modi "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."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with external affairs minister S Jaishankar to discuss Russia's "premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine", the State Department said.

Blinken "stressed the importance of a strong collective response to condemn Russia's invasion and call for an immediate withdrawal and ceasefire."

India has so far refrained from condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine and in a statement in the Security Council on Wednesday night, just as Putin ordered Ukraine's invasion, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti expressed "deep concern" over the developments, which if not handled carefully, may well undermine the peace and security of the region.

Ahead of the UNSC vote, minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that in a call to Jaishankar, he asked "India to use all influence in its relations with Russia to force it to cease military aggression against Ukraine. Urged India as a non-permanent UNSC member to support today's draft resolution on restoring peace in Ukraine."

The resolution condemned Russia's "aggression against Ukraine" and decides that Russia "shall immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and shall refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any UN member state."

The resolution also said that Russia "shall immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders."

The resolution said Moscow "shall immediately and unconditionally reverse the decision related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine."

A senior Biden administration official had said a day before that Washington was putting forward the resolution "with every expectation that Russia will use its veto" and in doing so, "they will underscore their isolation."

"First, of course, we expect that Russia will use its veto. And in doing so, they will underscore their isolation. We're not going to abandon our principles; we're not going to stand by and do nothing. It's important that we send a message to Ukraine, to Russia, and to the world that the Security Council will not look away," the official said.

(PTI)

More For You

Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

Supporters of the assisted dying law for terminally ill people hold a banner, on the day British lawmakers are preparing to vote on the bill, in London, Britain, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

PARLIAMENT voted on Friday (20) in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation.

314 lawmakers voted in favour with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017.

Regulator warns Air India over delayed emergency equipment checks: Report

INDIA’s aviation regulator has warned Air India for violating safety rules after three of its Airbus aircraft operated flights without undergoing mandatory checks on emergency escape slides, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued warning notices and a detailed investigation report highlighting the breach. These documents were sent days before the recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8, in which all but one of the 242 people onboard were killed. The Airbus incidents are unrelated to that crash.

Keep ReadingShow less
assisted dying bill

Pro and anti-assisted dying campaigners protest ahead of a parliamentary decision later today, on June 20, 2025 in London.

Getty Images

MPs to vote on assisted dying bill amid divided views

UK MPs are set to hold a key vote on assisted dying on Friday, which could either advance or halt a proposed law that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.

The vote follows several hours of debate in the House of Commons and will decide whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny or is dropped altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zhenhao Zou

Zhenhao Zou, 28, was jailed on Thursday after being found guilty of multiple offences. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Chinese student jailed for life for raping women in UK and China

A CHINESE postgraduate student convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in the UK and China has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a London court.

Zhenhao Zou, 28, was jailed on Thursday after being found guilty of multiple offences. Police say there is evidence he may have targeted more than 50 other women.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India cuts international flights after deadly crash

Mother (C) of First Officer Clive Kunder, co-pilot of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, mourns after his mortal remains were brought to his residence, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

Air India cuts international flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA said on Wednesday (18) it will cut international operations on its widebody aircraft by 15 per cent for the next few weeks, citing ongoing safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's deadly crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Authorities continue to investigate the crash of flight AI171, which killed 241 people and marked the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.

Keep ReadingShow less