Ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that will call for a cessation of hostilities in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Head of the Office of Ukraine’s President Andriy Yermak held a call with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval. According to a Ukrainian press release, the two parties discussed the current situation on the frontline, as well as Ukraine’s ten-point Peace Formula.
“Ukraine continues to fight on the battlefield, but at the same time has proposed a peace plan—a ten-point Peace Formula that provides comprehensive answers to the question of what needs to be done to end the war in a sustainable and just manner,” the press release said.
The document is based on such fundamental principles as the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states within internationally recognised borders, it added.
Mr. Yermak told Mr. Doval that Ukraine is interested in the broadest possible support for the resolution, in particular from the countries of the Global South, adding that India’s cooperation is very important to Ukraine.
“We believe that you will support our resolution, as it contains very correct wording on the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity. Our goals are transparent and clear: we do not claim a single centimeter of Russian territory, we just want to get ours back,” he said.
Mr. Yermak reiterated that the resolution is a fundamental one since it “restores respect for international law and the U.N. Charter in the world. It is very important to protect the territorial integrity of any state in the world in order to prevent any attempts by one country to appropriate the territory of another one in the future.”
While Mr. Yermak said that Ukraine welcomes initiatives that will accelerate the chances to end the ongoing conflict and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity, he emphasised that these should not be partial temporary solutions such as a ceasefire. He maintained for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. “Otherwise, peace will be unstable, and this is unacceptable for Ukraine,” the press release said.
The parties agreed to maintain close contact on the eve of the U.N. General Assembly vote, it added.
In October 2022, 143 UNGA members had voted to condemn Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories. Five countries, including Russia, voted against the resolution. India was among the 35 countries that abstained from the vote.
Earlier this month Mr. Doval had attended the fifth meeting of NSAs on Afghanistan in Moscow, which was also addressed by Russian President Putin. In an expanding diplomatic initiative, Mr. Doval, alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has maintained communication with both the Russian and the Ukrainian sides since the start of Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine in February 2022.
New Delhi has consistently maintained its stance for the Russia and Ukraine to resolve the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy,
In his bilateral meeting with Russian President Putin in Uzbekistan on September 16 last year, Mr. Modi said "today's era is not of war"
‘War can and should be ended this year’
“We are absolutely convinced that the war can and should be ended this year, so that the anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale invasion will be the first and last in our history,” Mr. Yermak told Mr. Doval over call.
His statement comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address in which he Mr. Putin vowed to continue with Russia’s year-long invasion of Ukraine and accused the U.S.-led NATO alliance of fanning the flames of the conflict in the mistaken belief that it could defeat Russia.
“We know that Russia is preparing certain offensive actions, and we are preparing to respond. The Russian army is very unmotivated, while Ukrainian warriors are showing extraordinary bravery and resilience. We will not stop until we liberate all our territories. We only need weapons,” Mr. Yermak said.
Russia suffered three major battlefield reverses in Ukraine last year but still controls around a fifth of the country and appears to be making progress in eastern provinces.
In the past 24 hours, Russia launched 59 attacks from heavy rocket systems, Ukraine’s military said in an early Wednesday report.
(With inputs from Reuters)
