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‘Exercise utmost restraint’: India on Ukraine crisis at UNSC emergency session

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3 years ago

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‘Exercise utmost restraint’: India on Ukraine crisis at UNSC emergency session

India on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the escalation of tension along Ukraine’s border with Russia, calling on all parties to exercise “utmost restraint” and step up diplomatic efforts to find a “mutually amicable solution” to the crisis in eastern Europe.

TS Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, presented the country’s position during an emergency session of the UN Security Council convened by Ukraine with the US and the UK, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was recognising the independence of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

“We have been closely following the evolving developments relating to Ukraine, including developments along the eastern border of Ukraine and the related announcement by the Russian Federation,” Tirumurti said.

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“The escalation of tension along the border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation is a matter of deep concern. These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region,” he said.
Tirumurti sought “restraint on all sides” and reiterated India’s call for the immediate de-escalation of tension while “taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond”.

He also reiterated India’s contention that the issue “can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue”, and said: “We need to give space to the recent initiatives undertaken by parties which seek to diffuse tensions.”

In this context, Tirumurti welcomed “intense efforts” to address the situation, including through the trilateral contact group and under the Normandy format.

He said the Minsk Agreements provide the basis for a negotiated and peaceful settlement, and added that all parties need to make “greater efforts to find common ground to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including key security and political aspects”.

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The Normandy format talks involve Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France, and the Minsk Agreements were finalised in 2014 to end fighting in the Donbas region.

“We need parties to exert greater efforts to bridge divergent interests. We cannot afford to have a military escalation,” Tirumurti said, highlighting the need for constructive diplomacy to avoid scaling up of tensions.

Tirumurti further reiterated India’s focus on the well-being of more than 20,000 Indian students and nationals living and studying in Ukraine, including in border areas.

“In conclusion, we strongly emphasise the vital need for all sides to maintain international peace and security by exercising the utmost restraint and intensifying diplomatic efforts to ensure that a mutually amicable solution is arrived at the earliest,” he said.

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Unlike most other members of the UN Security Council, India has stopped short of criticising the latest actions of Russia, a close strategic ally and defence partner, along the borders of Ukraine. It has insisted on a diplomatic solution to the crisis that ensures the “legitimate security interests of all countries”.

Soon after signing decrees recognising the independence of the Russia-backed regions of Luhansk and Donetsk during a televised address early on Tuesday, Putin ordered troops into separatist-held parts of the “people’s republics” in eastern Ukraine for what the Kremlin said was a “peacekeeping” mission.

The borders claimed by the leaders of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics include regions controlled by the Ukrainian government, and Putin’s decision triggered concerns that the movement of Russian troops into the breakaway regions could lead to a larger military operation, or the invasion that the US and its allies have been warning about.

During his long televised speech, Putin appeared to cast doubt on the very existence of several former Soviet republics as independent countries and said Ukraine has “never had traditions of its own statehood”.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who addressed his nation shortly after Putin’s speech, said Russia’s actions violate his country’s “national integrity and sovereignty” and that there would be no change to Ukraine’s borders.

The US administration contended Putin’s speech was meant to “justify” a war, and an unnamed American official said it amounted to “an attack on the very idea of a sovereign and independent Ukraine” using “false claims” meant to justify military action.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times

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HT Rewind 2024: Teja Sajja says HanuMan kicking off the year in style is the moment he’d been ‘waiting for’ | Exclusive

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December 21, 2024

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HT Rewind 2024: Teja Sajja says HanuMan kicking off the year in style is the moment he’d been ‘waiting for’ | Exclusive

In conversation with Hindustan Times, Teja Sajja decodes the success of HanuMan and other Telugu films, talks about his upcoming projects, and more.
When Prasanth Varma’s superhero film HanuMan, starring Teja Sajja, was announced to be released alongside big films like Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, Venkatesh’s Saindhav and Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga in January this year, no one expected the underdog to emerge on top. And yet, the film, made on a budget of under ₹50 crore, managed to collect over ₹300 crore at the box office worldwide in 25 days, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films for the year. (Also Read: Ranveer Singh met HanuMan actor Teja Sajja, complimented him even after his Prasanth Varma film Rakshas got shelved)

Ask Teja about the moment he realised his film had not just fought against the tide but also risen to the top; he tells Hindustan Times in an exclusive conversation, “Since I returned to acting (as a lead actor after being a child artiste since 1998), this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. When everything from the HanuMan teaser to the songs was grabbing attention, we knew we had hit a gold mine. But I don’t think we imagined it would cross the ₹300 crore threshold. We were so satisfied with the opening numbers; everything else was a bonus.”

‘Success has given me fear of disappointing people’

Teja acted in Zombie Reddy, Ishq and Adbhutham before HanuMan, but they are what you would call ‘critical successes’, adding to his repertoire as an actor who can perform. But things have changed for him now, says Teja, who is being picky about the roles he says yes to. “Success either makes you overconfident or gives you the fear of disappointing people; I have the latter,” he explains.

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Teja admits he wants to chart out his career in Hrithik Roshan’s footsteps, but not in the way you think. “I have such a fondness for Hrithik due to Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish. No matter how well he performed after that, these left a lasting impression on me; I’m sure 90s kids will agree,” he says, adding, “Similarly, I’ve realised that I have an audience in children now. I want to be conscious of that when I pick roles. I want to make films families can enjoy together.”

But despite people in places like Mumbai or Delhi recognising him, Teja says he’s clear that he wants to cater to the Telugu audience first. “I am conscious that I am making films for my playground – the Telugu states. This is the sensibility I have grown up with, and I don’t know if I can cater to everyone else. Will I promote my films in other languages? Sure. But I also can’t be part of films that aren’t authentic to what I know or understand,” he explains.

‘Rootedness has put us on the world map’

And authenticity seems to be the need of the hour. Be it Baahubali and RRR or the recently released Pushpa 2: The Rule, Kalki 2898 AD and Devara: Part 1, certain kind of stories seem to be finding success. “Rootedness and going local is proving to be such a boon for us, be it in Devara or Pushpa or HanuMan. Kalki 2898 AD was our version of a Hollywood film (the sci-fi concept) with actors from across languages in predominant roles; it put us on the world map,” reflects Teja.

However, the actor admits Tollywood went through a phase of Bollywood-inspired rom-coms and family dramas that worked in their favour for a while. “That wasn’t easy to replicate either, but it’s just that these local stories are what the audience seems most interested in now. It can’t just be chalked up to religion, too. It’s about the morals these films are hinged on, the fighting for righteousness, and how an underdog can find their strength. Introducing Mahabharata or Ramayana to a new audience in a cool way is just a perk,” he says.

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And it’s this rootedness that Teja says his next films, Mirai and Jai Hanuman (the sequel to HanuMan), will also have ample of. “Mirai is also a superhero film that caters to kids, but it’s not an origin story like HanuMan. It has a pan-Asian and Buddhist touch because the story is based on King Ashoka’s ideologies. I hope that I will get to deliver something new to the audience again. I will only feel like I’ve arrived if Mirai is equally, if not more, successful,” says Teja.

Rishab Shetty will headline Jai Hanuman, but Teja also looks forward to shooting that. “I can’t wait to be on that set; it’ll be exciting. Now that we know India is ready to watch our films, I want to step it up. I want to shift gears and shoot for at least two films in 2025,” he says. As for what he will do next, Teja says he wants to up the ante. “When I got a SIIMA award for Zombie Reddy as a debutant, I remember telling Prasanth this would be the last award I get. But now that I won a Radio City Cine Award for Best Actor, I hope more awards will follow,” he signs off cheekily.

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