Mr Abbot, India's presidency certainly comes in the backdrop of two black sworn events, which is the Ukraine Russia conflict. And COVID-19. Would you say India had to deal with more complex disagreements? Or and do you see these as some kind of hindrance to a possible joint community? Well, look, uh, I don't say that, uh, India hasn't had to, uh, weave its way through, uh, the odd, uh, political minefield, but, uh, I was very conscious of Narendra Modi's words to Vladimir Putin. Uh, when they met a few months ago in Tashkent. I accept that India has a long standing friendship with Russia. Um, dating back to a time when the United States was perhaps less well advised in its policies towards India. Uh, but, uh, I think India has managed so far, uh, to strengthen its relationships with countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Um, notwithstanding the fact that it has this, uh, longstanding historical indebtedness to Russia. Uh, I think the fact that India has been able to, um avoid condemning Russia without jeopardising its other key relationships is a tribute to the diplomatic sure footedness of Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister Jaish Shankar and the Indian government. More generally. That said, what Russia is doing in Ukraine is simply evil. It is simply evil, and the sooner the world wakes up to this the better.
