New Delhi: Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov said Russia has no plans to occupy any Ukrainian territory, adding that the country wants to end the hostilities. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, the ambassador said, "We want to end the hostilities. But when this will end, I can't say. We don't have any plans to occupy any Ukrainian territory. We are ready to stop hostilities at any moment provided any display of will by Ukraine."
He noted that the partial mobilisation is also indicative of the escalation. "We also stand to stop the hostilities and to sit and engage, provided the other party is ready", added the Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov. When asked about India-Russia-China cooperation, Denis Alipov said, "We believe that this is a promising mechanism that should be enhanced. This trilateral dialogue would help build trust between all participants and be helpful to promote a unified agenda and interest of the world at large." As EAM Dr S Jaishankar reiterated that the future of Asia lies in the cooperation of India-China, the ambassador said, "we are very supportive of such an approach. We stand for developing an atmosphere of trust".
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"With the price cap that the US proposes, I would believe that India is going to pursue its interest in the situation if such steps get implemented. We won't trade and cooperate to our detriment", Alipov further said. Talking about the India-Russia bilateral talks at the SCO summit, the Russian ambassador said the energy cooperation issues were discussed during the meeting (SCO).
"This has been a topic of our continuous discussions. The supply has gone down lately, but we are talking about long-term supplies. Generally, it is a matter of demand", he added. Commenting on the ongoing dispute between India and China, he said, "We don't want to get involved in the resolution of bilateral disputes between India and China. We only encourage the two to find a quick and peaceful resolution to border disputes, unlike some countries who only encourage suspicions of India towards China & vice versa".
"We don't support such an attitude. We stand for those disputes to be resolved solely between India and China for the benefit of both parties. We don't see any other role in this dialogue", he further underlined. The Russian ambassador also stressed that the delivery of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system to India from Russia is going according to schedule. He also made it clear that any delays in defence-related issues are not because of the conflict in Ukraine.
