On Wednesday, India voted against Russia for the first time in the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) during a legislative vote on the Ukraine issue. UNSC, a powerful UN body of 15 members, invited Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, to address a gathering through video conference.
Before this, India refused to vote against Russia at the UN Security Council on the Ukraine issue, which was a matter of annoyance to the United States-led Western powers. The US and other Western countries have imposed different major economic sanctions on Russia due to its war against Ukraine.
New Delhi has not condemned Russia for its attack on Ukraine, and India has continuously rang up both sides to return to dialogue and diplomacy. India has always supported all diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between the two nations.
Currently, India has been a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for two years, and the term will end in December. UNSC held a meeting on Wednesday to analyse the six-month-old conflict on Ukraine‘s 31st independence day.
As the conference started, Vassily A. Nebenzia, the Russian Ambassador to the UN, requested a procedural vote regarding the participation of the Ukrainian President in the UNSC meeting via video conference.
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Following the statements of Nebenzia and Albania’s statements Ferit Hoxha, the UNSC invited the Ukrainian President to participate in the meeting through a video conference with 13 votes in favour to one vote against. China refused to vote, while Russia voted against the invitation to Zelensky. Nebenzia urged Russia not to oppose the Ukrainian President’s participation, but such parking must be in-person.
As per experts, India’s vote against Russia would affect the trade between India and Russia and the strategic alliance between the two nations. India is a non-permanent member of the UNSC, and this vote is not a veto. India always has an independent foreign policy where the country prefers the benefits of its own rather than lobbying or favouritism.
