We encourage peaceful resolution of Russia-Ukraine conflict, says India

India on Thursday said it continues to encourage a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through "dialogue and diplomacy".

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in response to a query during a press briefing on India's stand on the inaugural Peace Summit in Switzerland.

"We continue to encourage peaceful resolution of Russian-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and remain open to engage, all ways and means, that would help achieve this objective," he said.

His comments came on a day Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba arrived here on his maiden visit to India. Kuleba said the bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and India is "important" and it will be strengthened.

 

In response to a question on number of Indians "duped" by agents and sent to Russia to join the military, the MEA spokesperson said, "We are constantly in touch with Russian authorities, we are pressing, we have taken it up strongly for them to have our nationals released and discharged as early as possible."

"On the death toll, last time I had also told you that, we know that two people have passed away, their mortal remains have come to India and have been sent to their family members, and so that is...two (Indian) people have passed away in the conflict," he said.

On March 8, Jaiswal had said that several Indians had been "duped" to work with the Russian Army and New Delhi had strongly taken up the matter with Moscow for their early release.

He had appealed to Indian nationals to not get "swayed" by offers made by agents for support jobs with the Russian Army, saying it is fraught with danger and risk to life.

His comments at his weekly media briefing had come days after 30-year-old Indian national Mohammed Asfan from Hyderabad, who was duped into joining Russia's war against Ukraine, was killed.

The Indian Embassy in Moscow had confirmed Asfan's death in a post on X earlier without mentioning the reason or circumstances behind his demise.

Asfan was the second Indian to be killed after the death of Hemal Ashwinbhai Mangukiya, a 23-year-old resident of Gujarat. Mangukiya died in a Ukrainian air strike last month while serving as a security helper in the Donetsk region.

Kuleba's two-day visit comes amid efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the over two-year-old Russia -Ukraine conflict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 20 had separate conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asserted that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward for the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Modi had spoken to Putin over telephone to congratulate him for winning a fifth term in office in the recent elections and followed it up with a phone call to Zelenskyy to convey India's "consistent support" for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict.

During the telephone conversation, the Ukrainian president had thanked India for its support for his country's sovereignty and said that it would be important for Kyiv to see New Delhi attend the inaugural Peace Summit in Switzerland.

Jaiswal, in response to a query on Kuleba's visit, said there will be a "bilateral engagement with the External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) in which they will go over a gamut of issues that lie in the domain of bilateral relations".

And, they will also "review the Inter-governmental Commission that was held earlier," he said.

The two leaders will also discuss regional and global issues of common concern, Jaiswal said, adding there are several other engagements also lined up for the Ukrainian foreign minister.