India has also said that actions that exacerbate the conflict should be avoided

Dialogue and diplomacy remain the "only way forward" to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine, India has reiterated at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Speaking in the UNSC on Saturday on the situation in Ukraine, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said that actions that exacerbate the conflict should be avoided. "Rather, all efforts should be made to de-escalate and bring both sides to negotiating table. As our Prime Minister has said, today’s era is not of war," she stated.

India’s approach, Kamboj said, will be to promote dialogue and diplomacy with an overarching aim to end the ongoing conflict and work with other partners to mitigate emerging economic challenges, particularly to the developing countries.

The meeting had been convened by Russia on "Supplies of Lethal Weapons by Western Countries to Ukraine that pose a serious threat to international peace and security."

Kamboj stated that India has continuously demanded an immediate end to hostilities since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "This Council would recall that since the commencement of conflict in Ukraine India has been consistently calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities," she said.

Kamboj described the Ukraine conflict's trajectory as a cause for grave worry for the whole world community and said that the conflict's effects have not just been felt in Europe but also around the globe.

"In a globalized world, the impact of the conflict has not just been limited to Europe. We have all experienced its consequence in terms of surging costs and shortage of food grains, fertilizers, and fuels," she said.

"The Global South, in particular, is feeling the pain acutely. We must therefore not initiate measures that further complicate the struggling global economy," she added.

Kamboj also noted that India was "providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to our neighbours under economic distress". India had dispatched 12 consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine so far and stood ready to do more, she added.

"It is in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to this conflict," Kamboj pointed out.