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Narendra Modi
Photo: Twitter / dpa / PTI
India is "deeply concerned" by Russian rocket attacks on major Ukrainian cities.
His country is calling for an immediate end to hostilities and is offering support for de-escalation efforts, a foreign ministry spokesman in New Delhi said on Monday.
There is an urgent need to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue.
So far, the billionaire democracy has remained neutral with regard to the Russian war of aggression because it has close ties to the West and to Russia.
India does not support Western sanctions and at the same time promotes conflict resolution through dialogue.
Recently, India bought more relatively cheap oil from Russia.
New Delhi is also heavily dependent on Moscow for its military equipment and spare parts, partly because Western countries have long stopped selling weapons to India.
As the world's most populous democracy, India is relevant to the West, partly because of China's attempts at dominance.
So far presented neutrally at the United Nations
When Russia vetoed a resolution condemning its annexation of four Ukrainian regions last week in the UN Security Council, India abstained from voting in this body, as did China.
And yet the statement that has now been made by the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs fits into a development that has become increasingly apparent in recent weeks.
Just a few days ago, Ukrainian President Selenskyj called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then thanked him for his support.
For its part, the Russian government is trying to keep India tied to itself – and thus keep it away from Ukraine.
For example, the Kremlin has described the price cap on Russian oil as part of the EU sanctions package against Russia as "absurd".
The spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said: "Our answer will be to redirect oil exports to countries that are willing to cooperate with us normally." This includes India as a major buyer.
dop/dpa/AFP