Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday that the Ukraine conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and that neither side should resort to the nuclear option. The call, initiated by a request from the Russian side, follows Moscow’s unsubstantiated allegations that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb” with radioactive elements. Shoigu briefed Singh on developments in Ukraine, including his concerns about possible “provocations through the use of a ‘dirty bomb,'” the Defense Ministry said.
“Singh reiterated India’s position that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued for an early resolution of the conflict,” the ministry said. “He pointed out that neither side should resort to the nuclear option because the prospect of using nuclear or radiological weapons is against the basic principles of humanity,” the statement said. The two ministers also discussed bilateral defense cooperation as well as the worsening situation in Ukraine. Hostilities between Russia and Ukraine have escalated in recent weeks since the bridge that connects Crimea to Russia was destroyed in an explosion nearly two weeks ago. Moscow blamed the explosion on Kyiv and launched retaliatory missile attacks targeting various Ukrainian cities in response.
In the past week, the Indian embassy in Ukraine issued two alerts asking Indian citizens to leave the country as soon as possible in view of the new wave of hostilities. Russian Defense Minister Shoigu also called his Chinese counterpart on Wednesday and relayed Moscow’s warning that he believed Ukraine intended to detonate a “dirty bomb” containing radioactive contaminants. At the beginning of the week, he held a series of phone calls with the defense ministers of NATO countries.
Moscow also took its allegations to the UN Security Council on Tuesday and voiced its concerns during closed-door talks. Kyiv and its Western allies have not only rejected Russia’s accusations, but also expressed concern that Moscow is using them as a pretext for further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “We have information indicating that Ukraine is preparing for such terrorist sabotage, and we will vigorously continue to communicate our opinion to the world community to encourage them to take active steps to prevent such irresponsibility. Russia has not released the evidence it says it has, but says it has prepared its troops to work under conditions of nuclear contamination.
