Russia 'appreciates' Delhi’s Ukraine stand, will not take sides on India-China issue

Dialogue remains a priority choice of Russia, Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in New Delhi, said

Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in New Delhi, tells Anirban Bhaumik of DH that Russia is not at war with the people of Ukraine, but has launched a ‘special military operation’ only to ‘de-Nazify’ and ‘demilitarise’ the nation. He says that Moscow only wants to ensure that the territory of Ukraine is not used against Russia. Moscow remains committed to implementing all its agreements with India for supplying military hardware, including the S-400 missile defence systems, in the face of western sanctions.

Why did Russia have to launch the military operations in Ukraine? Couldn’t Russia and NATO have resolved differences through dialogue?

Dialogue has always been and remains a priority choice of Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was assured many times that NATO would not expand and would not admit new members. But the US-led bloc not only cared little to adhere to its commitments but also started conducting unfriendly activities, including anti-Russian military exercises and deploying more weapons in the region, which were against the security interests of Russia. After the western countries supported a coup in Ukraine in 2014, NATO leaders started openly using Ukraine and its extreme nationalist neo-Nazi policies against Russia and everything related to Russia, even genocide and suppression of Russian-speaking populations of Ukraine. Since 2014, around 14,000 people have been killed in Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Kyiv authorities from the very beginning were not going to implement the Minsk Agreements and conduct a direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk.

NATO intensified supplying thousands of tons of military equipment and weapons to Ukraine and also ignored our December 2021 proposal to ensure legally-binding security guarantees for Russia, including non-expansion of the bloc and disarmament.

Russia is not waging a war against Ukraine and its people. We are only fighting the ultranationalists and their neo-Nazi ideology to protect the people of Ukraine and not to allow its territory to be used against Russia.

Also read: McDonald's, Starbucks, Coke, Pepsi join exodus out of Russia

How do you view India’s stand and its abstentions from voting on the issue of Russia-Ukraine conflict at the UN Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council?

We welcome India’s balanced and independent approach on the issue of Ukraine. It shows that India is a responsible global power. India has a very deep understanding of the crisis in Ukraine. It is also in India’s national interest not to allow anyone to manipulate it or dictate what stand it should take on such issues in international platforms.

Will Russia share the findings of the probe into the death of Indian medical student Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar in Ukraine’s Kharkiv?

It is a very unfortunate incident. We are not sure about the circumstances that caused this tragedy. The Russian Armed Forces do not target civilians. If it was a shelling (that killed him), videos which went viral clearly show that a missile came from the western side. Let’s also keep in mind that Kyiv regime started disseminating weapons for free to everyone, including criminals, who were freed from prisons. Among them are racists and neo-Nazis, and one of the versions is that the Indian student died in crossfire. We will be interested in conducting an investigation into the incident and we will be sharing our findings with the Government of India and coordinate on the issue of repatriation of his mortal remains.

What can Russia do to facilitate evacuation of India’s citizens from Ukraine?

Currently, this is the priority issue in our dialogue on various levels, including between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Russian government and the Russian armed forces are always ready and committed to do whatever they can to evacuate the citizens of India from Ukraine. All arrangements are there to receive the Indians at the Russian border. Already, a couple of times we announced ceasefire to ensure safe evacuation, but people were not let go by the Ukrainian nationalists, who also went beyond even Kyiv’s control. Moreover, they often use civilians as human shields. That delays evacuation.

Also Read | Count of Ukranian refugees hits two million, says UN

How do you view India’s resistance to the US bid to expand the Quad’s ambit and make it criticise Russia?

As far as the Quad is concerned, Prime Minister Modi made it clear that this mechanism should remain focused on its agenda, which has nothing to do with the situation in Europe. It’s a strong message that India is not going to allow anyone to manipulate and pressure it. The US has an old habit of trying to politicise multilateral institutions to advance its own agenda. Unlike the US, Russia does not believe in coercing or blackmailing any of its friends.

The US has sought to draw a parallel between Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and China’s mobilisation of troops along its Line of Actual Control with India. What is your view?

Each situation should be seen differently. The crisis in Ukraine was preceded by a sequence of particular events, decisions and actions by the western countries, leading ultimately to Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

As far as the India-China boundary issue is concerned, it is completely different. Russia hopes that India and China will be able to amicably resolve the border crisis through bilateral talks without any external interference. We are not taking sides on this issue. What Russia really can do is to provide suitable platforms and opportunities to India and China to have more options for constructive dialogue. The US, on the other hand, is only trying to use this bilateral issue between India and China for its own geopolitical interests, provoking aggressive thinking and trying to use India to pursue its own policies aimed at containing China.

How will you deal with the challenges the western sanctions on Russia pose to Russia-India relations, including the delivery of S-400 missile defence systems and other military hardware?

Neither India nor Russia recognises unilateral sanctions. The US and other western nations claim to be the champions of human rights, but the unlawful unilateral sanctions they impose on nations in fact violate human rights and make common people suffer, as we have seen in Iran, North Korea and Syria. The unlawful sanctions imposed by the US and other nations not only target economic and financial systems, but it is affecting everything. Such sanctions will certainly hit the global economy. Energy prices are increasing day by day.

With India, we are trying to figure out ways to continue our cooperation and adapt the mechanisms of payments, some of them are already in place, including the use of national currencies, which is going to be expanded. We remain committed to implement all our agreements, including the one for supplying S-400 missile air-defence systems to India. We enjoy an exceptional level of goodwill, mutual understanding and trust, and nothing will disrupt friendly ties between India and Russia.

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