India-Pakistan tune on Russia-Ukraine issue
Russia-Pakistan-India |
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke by telephone with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kulebar on Sunday (February 26th). He called on Pakistan to end the violence. There are many similarities between the Pakistani government's statement on the Ukraine crisis and India's statement at the UN Security Council and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with Ukrainian leaders.
Modi spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday (February 26th). He called for an end to the violence without mentioning who was responsible for the crisis. A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that Modi had called for an immediate end to the violence and for a return to dialogue and expressed India's interest in contributing to the peace process in any way possible.
Two days earlier, on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, the Indian prime minister had called Russian President Vladimir Putin. The language of his speech was almost the same there. According to a statement from the Indian government, Prime Minister Modi has reiterated his long-held belief that differences between Russia and the NATO alliance can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue. He called for an immediate end to the violence and a concerted effort by all parties to return to the path of diplomatic dialogue and dialogue.
India also abstained from voting in a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Moscow on Thursday (February 24th) and spoke directly with Putin about a major gas pipeline deal and various regional issues, including Afghanistan. Russia' tsatement about their meeting did not mention Ukraine. However, a statement from Imran Khan's office cautioned that Pakistan was "sorry" for the situation.