Having, so far, refrained from criticising Russia for its military action in Ukraine, India has abstained from voting in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution calling for Russia to be held accountable for violations of international law by its invasion of Ukraine and requiring Moscow to pay reparations to Kyiv for damages, loss and injury resulting from the war.
The draft resolution, 'Furtherance of remedy and reparation for aggression against Ukraine', introduced by Ukraine was adopted late Monday in the 193-member UN General Assembly by a recorded vote of 94 in favour, 14 against and 73 abstentions, including by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Belarus, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Syria voted against the resolution.
India, in its explanation of vote after the draft was adopted, questioned whether a reparation process would contribute towards efforts at resolving the conflict and cautioned against precedents being set through such resolutions. "We need to objectively consider whether a reparation process through a vote in the General Assembly would contribute to efforts at a resolution of the conflict.
Moreover, the legal validity of such a process by a General Assembly resolution remains unclear," India's Permanent Representative at the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said. She said, "We must, therefore, not create mechanisms or set precedents, without adequate international legal vetting, that have implications for the future functioning of the UN and the international economic system. We need to avoid steps which preclude or endanger the possibility of dialogue and negotiations and from bringing this protracted conflict to an early end."
Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "this is not an era of war", Kamboj said, "With this firm resolve to strive for a peaceful solution through dialogue and diplomacy, India has decided to abstain on resolution."India has mostly abstained on resolutions related to Russia-Ukraine war in the UN, including in the Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council.
The resolution, co-sponsored by nearly 50 nations, recognized that Russia "must be held to account for any violations of international law in or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as any violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and that it must bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts."
Kamboj said India continues to remain concerned over the situation in Ukraine. The conflict has resulted in the loss of lives and misery for its people, particularly for women, children and elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to take shelter in neighbouring countries, she said and termed reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure "deeply worrying."