Seeking India's intervention in resolving the Ukraine conflict, given its "privileged relations" with Russia, Ukraine's Ambassador to India Igor Polikha urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urge him to exercise restraint as otherwise the situation may get out of control. 

 "India is a very influential global player… We are asking for a strong voice of India". Polikha said in New Delhi. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "one of the most powerful, respected" world leaders. 

"You have a privileged, strategic relation with Russia. If Modi ji speaks to Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin), we are hopeful he will respond," he said.

"Putin has just launched a full-blown attack. They must stop Putin now. It is a case of blatant aggression… the Russian statement is cynical. They are not just attacking military installations but we have suffered civilian casualties," he said.

"India should be much more actively engaged, given the privileged relation India has with Russia. Not just for our safety, but of your own citizen's safety too, we need the intervention of India," Polikha said, pointing to the 15,000-plus Indians - mainly medical and technology students - currently living in Ukraine, whom the government is trying to evacuate.

Polikha also referred to India's history and mythology to trace its role in diplomacy and the non-aligned movement.

"I'm dealing with India from my young student years and I know a lot about your history of diplomacy. You had such bright guys… like Chanakya, or a he is otherwise called, Kautilya, approximately 2500 years back when on the major parts of Europe, there was no civilization," he said.

He also referred to the epic Mahabharata, saying even before the war, there were active attempts to solve the conflict. "India was among the architects of the world famous five principles, "Panchsheel... That's why at this moment we are asking, pleading the support of India," he added.

Calling the conflict unexpected, Polikha said for weeks, their President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been "repeatedly asking for bilateral negotiations with Russia, but (there was) no response". 

"We do not want protocol statements, it means nothing. We need support from the whole world," he added, in a somewhat snide reference to India which, without naming Russia, has called for de-escalation of hostilities, saying unless it is checked, it can "spiral into a major crisis" that can severely destabilize the region.

"We express our deep concern over the developments, which if not handled carefully, may well undermine the peace and security of the region," India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti has said.

"We call for immediate de-escalation and refraining from any further action that could contribute to a worsening of the situation. We call on all parties to exert greater efforts to bridge divergent interests," Tirumurti said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday night. 

(SAM)