Leaders from India and China called for de-escalation in Ukraine on Monday shortly after Russia launched a barrage of strikes on various cities, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the war’s beginning.
Russian President Vladimir Putin does not have many allies in the international community, and the few allies he does have seem to be distancing themselves following Putin’s decisions in Ukraine.
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Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, told the press that “all countries deserve respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to the New York Times, adding, “Support should be given to all efforts that are conducive to peacefully resolving the crisis,” while Arindam Bagchi, the spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said, “India is deeply concerned at the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, including targeting of infrastructure and deaths of civilians.”
Russia launched 75 missiles on Ukraine, 41 of which were shot down, the Defense Ministry said on Monday, attributing the data to Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Several civilians were killed, and the strikes came in retaliation for an explosion damaging the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula.
The Russian barrage included strikes on 10 different cities, specifically Kyiv, which hadn’t faced such military action in months.
Ukrainian leaders called the strikes acts of terrorism, and the strikes were widely condemned by Western officials. Putin also threatened to continue such actions, stating, “If attempts continue to carry out terror attacks on our territory, Russia’s responses will be tough and by their scope correspond to the level of threats created for the Russian Federation.”
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian leader Narendra Modi met with Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Uzbekistan.
The Chinese leader told Putin that China was “ready to team up with our Russian colleagues,” while the Russian leader acknowledged that China had some “questions and concerns” regarding the war. While the admission represented a possible strain in their relationship, Xi also referred to Putin as a “dear and longtime friend.”
“I know [where] you stand on the conflict in Ukraine and the concerns that you have repeatedly voiced,” Putin told Modi, while the Indian leader said, “We will do all we can to end that as quickly as possible … Our age is not that of war. And we have spoken many times on the phone that democracy, diplomacy, and dialogue, all of these things are likely to have an impact on the world.”
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Following these comments, National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said, “It doesn’t seem like he has a whole lot of sympathetic ears out there, even among countries like China, who hasn’t condemned him,” adding, “But they clearly have concerns about the way this war is being prosecuted, the atrocities, the war crimes. And I think they are surprised at how little progress Russia has made, so it’s noteworthy.”
While China and India have spoken out indirectly, Putin has also sought to supplement his military with equipment from Iran and North Korea. The Biden administration has warned that Russia has looked to purchase millions of rockets and artillery shells, while they have also said Russia is using Iranian drones.
