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India-Europe will be on same page over Ukraine crisis, says Polish minister

Foreign ministers of Luxembourg and Lithuania -- Jean Asselborn and Gabrielius Landsbergis -- stressed on the need for weapons delivery to Ukraine

A Ukrainian serviceman walks amid the rubble of a building heavily damaged by multiple Russian bombardments near a frontline in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A Ukrainian serviceman walks amid the rubble of a building heavily damaged by multiple Russian bombardments near a frontline in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Press Trust of India New Delhi

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on Tuesday expressed confidence that going forward India would be on the same page as the European nations on the Ukraine issue, noting that there can be different reactions for a certain period due to various reasons, including domestic politics.

Participating in a session at the Raisina Dialogue, Rau asserted that India for Europeans is the "biggest democratic partner" in the world which means that "we share the same values, principles and that we stand for the same political judgements and political solutions".

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Asked what message he has for the Indian prime minister to make him see from the European point of view the urgency for Ukraine to prevail, Rau cited the example of the five principles of peaceful coexistence signed between India and China, also known as Panchsheel, and claimed that they point to supporting the victim of Russian aggression.

 

"We can react in a different way till a certain period of time for various reasons, including domestic politics, but in terms or values and therefore in terms of our future cooperation, I am sure we are going to be on the same page," he said.

Foreign ministers of Luxembourg and Lithuania -- Jean Asselborn and Gabrielius Landsbergis -- stressed on the need for weapons delivery to Ukraine.

"We have a discussion in Europe, should we deliver weapons or not, what kind of weapons is also under discussion. In Germany, very intensive discussions are on about heavy weapons...In EU, we have never been confronted with such a challenge," Asselborn said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis said if Russian President Vladimir Putin is successful in his war in Ukraine then he will "export it further", therefore it is important that Ukraine wins this war and "we have to do our part".

On the issue of weapons delivery, he noted that at the beginning of the war, it was not clear how long the war would take and this perception is changing.

He said now there was increased confidence that Ukraine can win this war.

Asked about sanctions against Russia, Asselborn said there was no alternative as in the UN Security Council, China and Russia would have blocked it, so they had to go the way of European sanctions along with 40 countries.

"This was our only way to say to Putin, 'if you do this you would be excluded, not only for a short time but for a long time, out of the international community," he said.

The Lithunia foreign minister said it is a reality that Ukraine is fighting for "all of us in Ukrainian territory".

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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First Published: Apr 26 2022 | 4:15 PM IST

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