New Delhi: Referring to India’s stand at the international forums on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, German Ambassador to India, Walter J Lindner on Sunday said that India has an excellent diplomatic service and seeing the global world order, their diplomats know what to do regarding India’s stand on the issue.
Speaking to ANI, the German envoy said, “India has excellent diplomatic service, they know what to do… It’s not about Ukraine or the EU or NATO… it is about the global world order…We all have to stand together against it,” said Lindner on how European Union sees India’s role in the global matter.
India and 34 other countries on Wednesday abstained from a UN General Assembly resolution that censured Russia over its military actions against Ukraine. India had earlier abstained from the UN Security Council procedural vote to call for a United Nations General Assembly session on the Ukraine crisis. India along with China and UAE had last week abstained from a US-sponsored resolution against Russia`s military actions in Ukraine. Moscow vetoed the resolution.
“Watch the global order. Do we want that this kind of massive, aggressive attack on a peaceful and democratic neighbour is the rule of the game? This will set a precedent for every disputed border in future to recourse to violence. So, we all have to stand together against Putin and say `No Putin, Stop it,” said Lindner.
Regarding Germany’s position to NATO, he said, “You have to ask this to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he had from `Day One` started to lie saying that the military buildup was just a manoeuvre. He said that he is not invading, just rescuing the Russian speaking people there. He is bombarding everyone, then he says our people are peacekeepers and what do they do? They shell everyone, day and night, seven days a week. From the word go, he was lying. NATO is a defence alliance, we have never been aggressive, never invaded anyone, never attacked anyone.”
Russian forces on February 24 launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia`s military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised Ukraine to help with military aid to fight Russia.
“Putin’s idea was to attack his neighbouring country, he has to stop and then only we can find a solution,” said the German Ambassador. Regarding sanctions on Russia, Lindner said, “Our stand is the same as other European countries. We say our doors are open for those who are running away for life from war, `Putin’s war.` We have made a decision, EU, whoever comes from Ukraine can choose which country to enter and we take them up, we find a place for them. If you see the solidarity across Europe with these people (Ukrainian) is incredible, so, everyone has to pay the price for this Putin’s war and we are very willing to pay it. We share our rooms, food with the refugees. It’s an emergency, the first time we had a land war since World War II. This is a terrible situation.”
Lindner also said that this crisis resulted in “millions of refugees, 1.5 million is what UN has confirmed and there will be more” adding “there are thousands of people who are either dead or wounded from both sides, including civilians, elders, toddlers and women who were seeking refuge.”
He also said that Russia is attacking nuclear power plants, and there is a massive crackdown on the press by Russia. “This is the 10th day of the war and only one person can change it – Putin,” he said.
Speaking about energy needs of Germany, which is maximum in Europe, and how the sanctions will impact dynamics, he said, “Germany is strongly supporting sanctions against Russia though we have quite a lot of dependencies on Russian gas. We have reduced, stopped the new pipeline coming from Russia. We have decided to increase our military budget by more than 2 percent of our national budget and are exporting weapons to Ukraine. We participate in all the financial and economic sanctions and since Germany is the biggest economic power in Europe, this really gives teeth to the sanctions. Putin will feel the sanctions, as well as his entourage and oligarchs.”
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