India, Previously Silent on Russia's Ukraine Invasion, Now "Clearly Condemns Civilian Massacres"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] India, which had not officially condemned Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, has officially denounced the 'Bucha civilian massacre' carried out by Russian forces. This is interpreted as a change in India's pro-Russian stance as the international community increases sanctions against Russia and voices of condemnation grow louder.

According to Indian media such as The Times of India on the 5th (local time), T.S. Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, described the Bucha massacre at the UN Security Council as "very shocking" and stated, "We clearly condemn such massacres." This is the first time India has officially issued a statement condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ambassador Tirumurti emphasized, "We support calls for an independent investigation into this incident," and stressed that diplomacy should be widely adopted as the only viable alternative when innocent lives are at risk.

Previously, India abstained from voting on the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia and increased its imports of Russian crude oil despite Western sanctions, drawing criticism from the international community. As voices condemning Russia's war crimes over the civilian massacre grow louder, it is presumed that India's policy toward Russia is also changing. The Times of India evaluated Ambassador Tirumurti's remarks as "India joining the international community's expression of outrage over the civilian massacre."

Notably, despite being a key member of the Quad, a U.S.-led military consultative group of four countries in the Indo-Pacific region aimed at countering China, India had not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine until now. Consequently, voices criticizing India have increased, mainly from the U.S. and Western countries.

Nevertheless, India has maintained its long-standing basic foreign policy of 'neutral diplomacy' since independence and has maintained close relations with Russia. In particular, in the defense sector, India has demonstrated strong ties by importing 49% of its total arms imports from Russia between 2016 and 2020.