India abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote on a new package of sanctions against Russia for its continued military operations in Ukraine, maintaining the independent foreign policy position it has held since the conflict began in 2022. The resolution, which passed 11-2 with Russia and China voting against and India and Brazil abstaining, includes restrictions on Russian oil exports, financial system access, and military technology imports. India abstention drew predictable criticism from Western allies and praise from Russia.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India believes dialogue and diplomacy are the only paths to sustainable peace and that India interest in an early end to the conflict is well known. He reiterated India humanitarian assistance to Ukraine while emphasising that India economic interests, including discounted oil imports from Russia, must be considered in any foreign policy calculation. Western diplomats expressed private frustration but acknowledged that India strategic autonomy is now an accepted reality that the US-led alliance must work around rather than against in its approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
