ted Nations/New Delhi, March 24 : India on Thursday abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The resolution was backed by 140 members, against five negative votes, with 38 countries, including India, China and Pakistan, abstaining. The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the draft resolution ‘Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine’ by Ukraine and its western allies. In his Explanation of Vote, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti said that India abstained on the resolution “since what we require now is to focus on cessation of hostilities and on urgent humanitarian assistance. The draft resolution did not fully reflect our expected focus on these challenges.” He stressed that it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance, i.e., humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These measures should not be politicized. “We firmly believe efforts at the ted Nations should contribute to de-escalation of the conflict; facilitate immediate cessation of hostilities to promote dialogue and diplomacy and bring parties together to find an immediate end to the suffering of the people.” “We continue to underline the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” he said. He also said that India continues to remain deeply concerned at the ongoing situation in Ukraine, which has rapidly been deteriorating since the beginning of the hostilities. “The humanitarian situation continues to worsen, particularly in the conflict zones in urban centers. ..We reiterate our call for immediate ceasefire.” “There is an urgent need to address the humanitarian needs of the affected population. In this regard, we support the initiatives of UN, and its agencies.” India has already sent over 90 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Ukraine and its neighbours, as part of nine separate tranches of humanitarian assistance delivered thus far. These supplies have included medicines and other essential relief material. We are in the process of sending further supplies in the coming days, he added. Referring to the evacuation of its citizens, he said that India has ensured the safe return of about 22,500 Indians from Ukraine. RN