The escalation of tension along the Russia-Ukraine border is a matter of deep concern and the developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region, India has told the UN Security Council, calling for restraint on all sides.
"We have been closely following the evolving developments relating to Ukraine, including developments along the eastern border of Ukraine and the related announcement by the Russian Federation," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said at an emergency UNSC meeting on the situation in Ukraine on Monday night.
"The escalation of tension along the border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation is a matter of deep concern. These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region," Tirumurti said.
India called for restraint on all sides. "The immediate priority is de-escalation of tensions taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond," Tirumurti said.
He strongly emphasized the vital need for all sides to maintain international peace and security by exercising the utmost restraint and intensifying diplomatic efforts to ensure that a mutually amicable solution is arrived at the earliest
"We need to give space to the recent initiatives undertaken by parties which seek to diffuse tensions. In this context, we welcome the intense efforts underway, including through the Trilateral Contact Group and under the Normandy format. We need Parties to exert greater efforts to bridge divergent interests. We cannot afford to have a military escalation," he said.
Tirumurti said safety and security of civilians are essential, adding that more than 20,000 Indian students and nationals live and study in different parts of Ukraine, including in its border areas. "The well-being of Indians is of priority to us," he said.
The Russia-Ukraine crisis reached a flashpoint after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two decrees recognizing 'the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)' and 'the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)' as independent and sovereign states. At a ceremony held in the Kremlin on Monday, Putin also inked the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and the LPR and the DPR respectively with the heads of the two 'republics'.
"I consider it necessary to make a long overdue decision -- to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the DPR and the LPR," Putin said in a televised address to the nation.
The crisis of European security occurred due to the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -- a powerful military alliance of 30 countries. Putin said that it is just "a matter of time" for NATO to accept Ukraine as a member state and then build facilities on its territory so that the level of military threats to Russia will rise dramatically.
He said that Moscow has asked the United States and NATO for security guarantees, but the Western countries precisely ignored Russia's fundamental concerns and nothing has changed in their position. "In such a condition, Russia has every right to take retaliatory measures to ensure its own security," the President said.
READ MORE: Putin recognizes independence of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine
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