Ukraine crisis: Counting on India for support, says US

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 17

Noting that India is committed to rules-based international order, the US hoped that New Delhi would stand by its side in case of an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Parents worried

• Families of students studying in Ukraine are worried. Parents across Gurugram and Faridabad have appealed to the government to evacuate their wards, saying they are getting distress calls.
• While some states have prepared a list of students to be evacuated, Haryana is yet to start the process.

Curbs on flights go

The Civil Aviation Ministry has removed curbs on number of flights between India & Ukraine.

At the same time, the US appeared to rule out a collective international evacuation effort as in Afghanistan to get foreigners out of Ukraine but suggested that it was time for them to leave the country immediately.

“We’re certainly sharing information about the threat and the posture. But we have a special responsibility towards American citizens, and our message to American citizens for some time has been that you should leave now, using commercial or private options that are still available,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a media briefing on Wednesday. With flights out of Ukraine turning expensive and fewer, Price said the US had worked out border crossings through neighbouring countries. “A large number of countries are also doing it for their own citizens. We think this is a prudent step as we continue to do everything we possibly can to seek a diplomatic resolution to the crisis,” said Price.

Acknowledging that there was a discussion on Russia and Ukraine at the Quad meeting in Melbourne on February 11, Price said there was a strong consensus for a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to the issue.

“We know that our Indian partners are committed to that rules-based international order. There are a number of tenets in that order. One of them is that borders cannot be redrawn by force,” he said. Price was asked when Blinken met Jaishankar, did he come out with the impression that India was fully supporting the US on the issue of Russia.

Blinken also discussed defence issues, he said when asked if during the bilateral meeting with Jaishankar, he raised the issue of sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act) or India buying S-400 from Russia. —

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