Khan held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. The two countries are not just exploring options to deepen economic ties, but Russia is keen to sell arms to Pakistan – something it avoided in the past because of India’s opposition. 

Just as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was making an appeal in the Security Council to Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop your troops from attacking Ukraine” and other Council members calling for de-escalation, restraint and diplomacy, the Russian leader announced the launch of a military operation in eastern Ukraine.

Reacting to the developments, Tharoor tweeted, “So Russia is conducting a ‘regime change’ operation. How long can India, which had consistently opposed such interventions, stay silent?”

“However much one appreciates Moscow’s legitimate security concerns, resort to war is impossible to accept or justify. We should demand they stop,” the former minister of state for external affairs said.

Tagging a quote of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in which he said “we are absolutely clear that we will not agree to any change in the status quo, any attempt to change the LAC unilaterally by one side”, Tharoor said in a tweet, “This should be our stand on Ukraine as well. Principles do not cease to be relevant depending on the identity of the invader.”

(With inputs from agencies)