Russia has welcomes India’s “independent and balanced” approach to global affairs, including the situation in Ukraine, and the fallout of the crisis won’t impact bilateral cooperation in areas such as defence, Russian chargé d’affaires Roman Babushkin said on Wednesday. Babushkin, the senior-most Russian diplomat in New Delhi as the new envoy is yet to present his credentials, told a virtual briefing on the Ukraine crisis that the India-Russia strategic partnership is based on mutual trust and respect and both sides take each other’s concerns “very seriously”. Both countries also don’t “interfere in domestic affairs”. “We welcome the independent position India has taken in the UN Security Council twice already [and] which was expressed openly by the Indian external affairs minister and other officials,” Babushkin said, referring to statements made by the Indian side at two Security Council meetings on the Ukraine crisis. India, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, is playing the “vital role of a responsible global power”, and has adopted an “independent and balanced approach to global affairs”, he said. India’s stance at the Security Council reflects the “our special and privileged strategic partnership and fully corresponds to Indian aspirations” to enhance its status in global affairs, he added.
“We keep in mind the possibility of negative influence of sanctions with regard to our cooperation in particular affairs, including defence. But at the same time, when it comes to our case with India, we have very strong and [long-standing] trusted cooperation...,” he said. “We continue our work with our Indian partners in defence. We have big plans and we hope that our partnership will continue further at the same level we are enjoying today,” he said, adding that Russia will a “huge participation” in India’s upcoming Defexpo exhibition. Russia remains open to sharing sophisticated technologies with India, and bilateral defence cooperation is a “strong factor of international peace and stability and to the full extent reflects the national interests of both countries”, he said. India is among the few countries that haven’t criticised Russia’s actions of massing troops along the borders with Ukraine. At the UN Security Council, India has only expressed deep concern at the escalation of tension and called on all parties to exercise “utmost restraint” while stepping up diplomatic efforts to find a solution that ensures the “legitimate security interests” of all countries.