Russia’s foreign minister has lauded India for not judging in a “one-sided way” as he discussed Moscow’s military involvement in Ukraine with his Indian counterpart, after Washington urged New Delhi to use its leverage with Russia to end the war
abcnews.go.com
Russia praises India's neutral stance on Ukraine fighting
Russia’s foreign minister has lauded India for not judging in a “one-sided way” as he discussed Moscow’s military involvement in Ukraine with his Indian counterpart, after Washington urged New Delhi to use its leverage with Russia to end the war
By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press
April 1, 2022, 7:45 AM
• 4 min read
3:16
On Location: April 1, 2022
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.
The Associated Press
NEW DELHI -- Russia's foreign minister lauded India for not judging in a "one-sided way" as he discussed Moscow's military involvement in Ukraine with his Indian counterpart on Friday, after Washington urged New Delhi to use its leverage with Russia to end the war.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said ties between the two countries have sustained them through difficult times in the past.
Recent Stories from ABC News
Top Articles
READ MORESuspect faces murder charge in northernNevada kidnapping
Jaishankar emphasized the importance of a cessation of violence but avoided condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
"Differences and disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and by respect for international law, the U.N. Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states," he said.
Lavrov praised India for judging "the situation in its entirety, not just in a one-sided way." He expressed hope that mutual respect in search of a balance in ties will prevail in the future.
Lavrov also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him on the situation in Ukraine, including ongoing peace negotiations, the Indian foreign ministry said.
Modi urged an "early cessation of violence, and conveyed India’s readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts,'' it said in a statement.
Modi did not meet with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during their recent visits to New Delhi.
Asked by journalists if Modi could mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, Lavrov replied, “I haven't heard about such talk, frankly speaking.”
"Given India’s position of a just and rational approach toward international problems, it can support such a process. No one is against it, I think,” he said.
The two sides were expected to discuss the uninterrupted supply of spare parts for Russian-made military equipment in India's arsenal, trade, and oil payments in rubles, as demanded by Moscow.
India was Moscow's ally during the Cold War but has since sought to maintain ties with both Russia and Western nations.
On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. expects India to use its relations with Russia to help end the war in Ukraine.
“Different countries are going to have their own relationship with the Russian Federation. It’s a fact of history, it’s a fact of geography. That is not something that we are seeking to change,“ Price told reporters in Washington.
He said the U.S. is looking for its friends and allies to speak in unison and loudly against the "unjustified, unprovoked, premeditated Russian aggression.”
Experts say up to 60% of Indian defense equipment was acquired from Russia. New Delhi finds itself in a bind at a time when it is facing a 2-year-old standoff with China along their disputed border, with tens of thousands of soldiers within shooting distance. Twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers died in a clash in 2020.
In the early 1990s, about 70% of Indian army weapons, 80% of its air force systems and 85% of its navy platforms were of Soviet origin. India is now reducing its dependency on Russian arms and diversifying its defense procurement, buying more from the United States, Israel, France and Italy.
But Indian energy dependency on Russia remains a factor in relations.
Last month, the state-run Indian Oil Corp. bought 3 million barrels of crude from Russia to secure its needs, resisting Western pressure to avoid such purchases.
Jaishankar, who met Truss on Thursday, defended India’s decision and decried "what looks almost like a campaign on this issue.”
He said March figures show that Europe bought 15% more oil and gas from Russia than it did in February.
"We get the bulk of our supply from the Middle East. In the past, India bought less than 1% from Russia. When the oil prices go up it is natural for countries to go out to the market and look up for good deals that are good for people,” he said at a meeting of the India-U.K. Strategic Futures Forum.
"I am quite sure that if we wait for two-three months and look at who are the big buyers, I suspect the list will not be vastly different. I suspect we will not be in top 10 on that list.“
The United States, Britain and other Western countries are urging India to avoid buying Russian oil and gas. Indian media reports said Russia was offering a discount on oil purchases of 20% below global benchmark prices.
———
Updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
abcnews.go.com
Russia-Ukraine live updates: US cancels ballistic missile test to avoid escalation
The test was initially postponed in early March to avoid "misinterpretation."
By
Morgan Winsor,
Emily Shapiro,
Nadine El-Bawab,
Ivan Pereira,
Julia Jacobo,
Meredith Deliso,
Bill Hutchinson,
Kevin Shalvey,
Celia Darrough, and
Mary Kekatos
Last Updated: April 1, 2022, 6:11 PM ET
5:41
24/7 Coverage of Breaking News and Live Events
What are Russians risking by protesting Putin?
What are Russians risking by protesting Putin?
Many Russians have taken to the streets to protest the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, eve...Read More
Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation." Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, as well as other major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol.
Two Men at War
A look at the two leaders at the center of the war in Ukraine and how they both rose to power, the difference in their leadership and what led to this moment in history.
STREAM ONHULU
Latest headlines:
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Apr 01, 6:11 pm
US cancels ballistic missile test to avoid escalation with Russia
A U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile test that was initially postponed in early March to avoid "misinterpretation" by Russia was recently canceled, the Department of the Air Force said Friday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin originally delayed the routine test flight of an LGM-30G Minuteman III missile after Russia put its nuclear deterrent forces on a
state of heightened alert.
"The launch had been previously delayed due to an overabundance of caution to avoid misinterpretation or miscommunication during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and was cancelled for the same reason," the Air Force said in a statement. "Our next planned test flight is later this year. The Department is confident in the readiness of the strategic forces of the United States."
-ABC News' Matt Seyler
Apr 01, 4:23 pm
Kyiv suburb Bucha liberated from Russian forces, mayor says
Bucha, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, has been liberated from Russian forces, its mayor declared.
"March 31 will go down in the history of our settlement and the entire territorial community as a day of liberation from the Russian occupiers by our armed forces,” Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk said in a video posted to Facebook Friday. "Today I state that this day is joyful and it is a great victory of our armed forces in Kyiv region."
Last week, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Russian forces battling toward Kyiv were able to partially take several northwestern suburbs, including Bucha.
-ABC News' Irene Hanatiyuk
Apr 01, 3:56 pm
Over 6,200 evacuated from southeastern Ukraine Friday
Over 6,200 people were evacuated from regions in southeastern Ukraine Friday by buses and private cars, according to Ukrainian officials.
In the Donetsk region, 3,071 people were evacuated from the besieged port city of Mariupol, officials said.
Felipe Dana/AP
A police officer checks documents of a family arriving from Mariupol at a refugee center i...Read More
Earlier Friday, Mariupol officials said an estimated 100,000 civilians remained trapped in the city despite repeated efforts by Ukrainian officials to evacuate them.
Additionally, over 1,700 people were evacuated from the Luhansk region, and over 1,400 from the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian officials said.
-ABC News' Irene Hanatiyuk
Apr 01, 1:20 pm
Ukraine, Russia hold talks on proposed security guarantee treaty
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators continued peace talks virtually on Friday, Mykhailo Podolyak, a chief negotiator for the Ukrainians, told ABC News.
"On the table is the key document proposed by the Ukrainian delegation - the Treaty on Security Guarantees," Podolyak said. This proposed agreement provides for the possibility of exit from the war and the prevention of future conflicts.
Ukraine
proposed a new system of security guarantees similar to NATO's collective defense clause which would legally require "guarantor countries" to provide arms and impose a "no-fly" zone over Ukraine, in the event of an attack.
Both sides are working on the legal wording of the basic provisions of the contract, Podolyak said.
"The discussion is extremely difficult, since the negotiating positions of the parties are strongly influenced by the daily change in the military situation on all lines of contact," Podolyak said.
-ABC News' Bruno Roeber and James Longman