China and India call for negotiated end to Ukraine war

China and India called for a negotiated end to the Ukraine war on Saturday with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi cautioning both Russia and Ukraine to “keep the crisis from spilling over” and affecting developing countries.

After a week of pressure at the United Nations General Assembly, Russia’s foreign minister took the General Assembly rostrum to deliver a fiery rebuke to Western nations for what he termed a “grotesque” campaign against Russians.

However, no powerful nation supported Russia, including China, which vowed an “unbreakable” bond with Russian President Vladimir Putin just days before the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“China supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis. The pressing priority is to facilitate talks for peace,” Mr Wang said at the UN. “The fundamental solution is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.”

Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar added that “the trajectory of the Ukraine conflict is a matter of profound concern for the international community”.

He called for accountability for atrocities and abuses committed in Ukraine. “If egregious attacks committed in broad daylight are left unpunished, this council must reflect on the signals we are sending on impunity. There must be consistency if we are to ensure credibility,” he said.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was unapologetic and defensive at the same time and specifically targeted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Lavrov at a news conference also declined to answer whether there has been any pressure from China. In his speech, he sought to cast blame squarely on the West.

“The official Russophobia in the West is unprecedented. Now the scope is grotesque,” Lavrov told the General Assembly.

“They are not shying away from declaring the intent to inflict not only military defeat on our country but also to destroy and fracture Russia.”

The tide of international opinion appears to be decisively shifting against Russia, as a number of non-aligned countries are joining the US and its allies in condemning Moscow’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order.

Western officials have repeatedly said that Russia has become isolated since invading Ukraine in February. Until recently, though, that was largely wishful thinking. But on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, much of the international community spoke out against the conflict in a rare display of unity at the often fractured United Nations.

Additional reporting by outlets