India voted against Russia for the first time

India voted against Russia for the first time in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after Russia's attack on Ukraine on 24 February. A meeting was held before the voting was held late on Wednesday night. The issue was whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be approved for the speech at the UNSC meeting or not. Voting took place after this meeting and India voted against Russia.
India said – everyone should be allowed to present their side before the 15-member (5 permanent and 10 temporary) committee, it is their right. India supports it. Now Zelensky will talk about his country in the UNSC through video conferencing. Its date will be announced soon.
India is a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2 years. This tenure will end in December 2022. Western countries, including the US, have imposed many strict restrictions. On the other hand, India has not even directly criticized Russia's attack on Ukraine, although it has made several efforts to end the war.
On Wednesday, the UNSC held a meeting to take stock of Ukraine's independence. Ukraine celebrated 31st Independence Day this time. At the meeting, the Russian ambassador asked Zelensky to stop giving a speech at the UNSC meeting. Twelve countries including India opposed it. China did not participate in the voting.
Russian Ambassador Nebenzia said – We do not oppose Zelensky's participation, but participation should be personal. During COVID-19, the council had decided to function. Council members spoke out against following the rules.