India on Friday said that it remained deeply concerned about the worsening situation in Ukraine and reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of violence and end to the hostilities.
Pratik Mathur, counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to United Nations, said, "We continue to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation of Ukraine and reiterated the call for an immediate cessation of violence and end to the hostilities."
He further said, "We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives. We have emphasized right from the beginning of the conflict that the path of diplomacy and dialogue should be the only viable option."
Mathur said that India condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation into the matter.
Mathur, who spoke at the Security Council's Arria-formula meeting on Ukraine, said, "We welcome the visit by Secretary-General to Moscow & Kyiv & his engagement with the leadership in the Russian Federation and Ukraine."
He further appreciated the efforts of the UN in evacuating the civilian population from Mariupol.
Notably, Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unwarranted war. As a result of this, the western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow.
( With inputs from ANI )
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