Russia invades Ukraine: Dalai Lama urges dialogue, prays that 'peace is swiftly restored'

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters the fifth day, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, on Sunday, prayed for dialogue and cooperation "to restore peace" in the war-torn country. Noting the trail of devastation and fear that has gripped Ukraine, Dalai Lama also called for a non-violent approach to resolve the ongoing conflict. He also stressed that the intense brutality of war also "inevitably impacts the rest of the world."

"Our world has become so interdependent that violent conflict between two countries inevitably impacts the rest of the world. War is outdated – non-violence is the only way. We need to develop a sense of the oneness of humanity by considering other human beings as brothers and sisters. This is how we will build a more peaceful world," the Dalai Lama said in a statement.

"I pray that peace is swiftly restored in Ukraine," he added.

Sharing his enlightenment, the spiritual leader also stated that "problems and disagreements are best resolved through dialogue." Hoping for a concrete resolution, he added, "Genuine peace comes about through mutual understanding and respect for each other’s wellbeing." Urging people to cling to their hopes for peace in Ukraine, Dalai Lama emphasised, "We must not lose hope. The 20th century was a century of war and bloodshed. The 21st century must be a century of dialogue."

Russia-Ukraine war

On Monday, Ukraine remains embattled with Russian forces inching closer to Kyiv. The countries waded into war after Moscow massed over 1,50,000 troops on Ukraine's borders in a bid to pressurise Western nations to not allow Ukraine to join NATO, threatening an invasion.

On February 24, Russian President Putin announced a full-scale military operation on Ukraine aiming to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukrainian territories. Over 352 civilians and military personnel have been killed, including 14 children and 1,000 more injured in Ukraine, the country's health ministry informed. As of Monday, the military faceoff has forced over 100,000 Ukrainians to flee and house in bomb shelters since Feb 24, while both nations are set to hold peace talks at the Ukraine-Belarus border city of Gomel.

Meanwhile, heavy sanctions have been levied on Russia's banks, diplomacy, international trade, Putin's inner circle, SWIFT banking system, cancellation of visa, exports, energy, transport by US, Australia, Germany, Taiwan, France, Germany, EU, Japan for attacking Ukraine. Similar sanctions have been levied on Belarus for "abetting" the Russian regime in invading Ukraine. On the other side, many nations like Sweden, Germany, France, US are supplying arms to Ukraine to defend themselves.

(Image: AP)