Jaishankar meets Chinese FM; discusses Russia-Ukraine war

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New Delhi: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during delegation-level talks, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Friday, March 25, 2022. (Photo: Twitter)

New Delhi, (Asian independent) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi here, and discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Both leaders have agreed on diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the crisis.

“On Ukraine, we discussed our respective approaches and perspective but agreed that diplomacy and dialogue must be the priority,” Jaishankar said at a press conference after the meeting.

India maintained its neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine situation by abstaining from a resolution brought by Russia on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine at the UN Security Council.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Delhi for two days. He landed in Delhi on Thursday evening.

It has been a month into the war, and Russia is making efforts to take over cities after cities.

Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky had called for worldwide demonstrations against the invasion of his country by Russia, which completed one full month on Thursday.

The war began on February 24.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who authorised the offensive, has repeatedly called it a ‘special military operation’ launched to ‘de-nazify’ the east European nation.

Reacting to the sanctions, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said: “It is foolish to believe that Western sanctions against Russian businesses could have any effect on the Russian government. These will only consolidate Russian society.”

In the meantime, US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a joint statement, said: “We are united in our condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The US and European Union have strengthened their sanctions regimes. We continue to mobilise humanitarian relief to support people within Ukraine.”

Biden has also planned to go to Rzeszow in Poland, about 80 km from the Ukrainian border.