German Ambassador to India Walter J. Lindner on Thursday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for "mercilessly bombarding civilians" in Ukraine.
"It's almost one month of merciless attack on civilians by the Russian Army and this is not acceptable... Putin is mercilessly bombarding civilians," Ambassador Lindner said.
Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi, the German Ambassador said that Russia's action in Ukraine set a bad precedent for other powerful countries to resolve their border disputes.
"The danger of the brutal war of Putin to attack his neighbour, an innocent neighbour which didn't attack him or pose any threat sets a bad example for any future border correction intended by a powerful nation," Ambassador Lindner said.
"What do we do if in future other important nations, be they in the security council or outside, decide that they could attack the neighbour? They will say, Putin has done it, we can do it too."
Talking about India's abstention in the UN vote on Russian resolution, Lindner said, "India and every country in the world have its own surroundings, its own friendships, alignments, neighbourhoods and history," adding that "We are in the totally same wavelength as India when we call for the immediate stop (to the conflict)."
"There is one person who can stop this (ongoing conflict in Ukraine), Putin, and he doesn't stop it. He continues to let people die, suffer and the world has to know that there's only one person who is responsible for it," the German Ambassador said.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after recognizing Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. The war has led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, leading to more than 3.5 million refugees fleeing to neighbouring western countries, including Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary.
( With inputs from ANI )
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