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India on Wednesday supported the international community's call for an immediate ceasefire after abstaining on a UN General Assembly resolution that strongly deplored Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the third abstention in less than a week by the country in the world body on resolutions on the escalating crisis between Moscow and Kyiv.

The 193-member General Assembly Wednesday voted to reaffirm its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and 'deplores in the strongest terms' Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, five Member States voting against and 35 abstentions. The General Assembly broke into an applause as the resolution was adopted.

Russian troops invading Ukraine are suffering from low morale and many of them are sabotaging their vehicles, a Pentagon official has said, as reported by the New York Times. Apart from the drooping morale, the soldiers are also suffering from a shortage of resources, including food and fuel.

The official, according to the report, said that most of these soldiers are young fighters without proper training; they were not expecting such stiff resistance from the Ukrainian forces as well. Some of them, according to US officials, were not even told that they were being sent for combat. These soldiers are laying down their arms without a fight, punching holes in their vehicles just to avoid combat, the report said.

The assessment has been made presumably based on the statements of the captured Russian soldiers. US officials said this low energy of the Russian army proves why the 40-mile convoy near Kyiv, as seen in the satellite images, is now nearly crawling.

Russia renewed its assault on Wednesday on Ukraine's second-largest city in a pounding that lit up the skyline with balls of fire over populated areas, even as both sides said they were ready to resume talks aimed at stopping the new devastating war in Europe.

The escalation of attacks on crowded cities followed an initial round of talks between outgunned Ukraine and nuclear power Russia on Monday that resulted in only a promise to meet again.

It was not clear when new talks might take place — or what they would yield. Ukraine's leader earlier said Russia must stop bombing before another meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decried Russia's bombardment as a blatant terror campaign, while US President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that if the Russian leader didn't "pay a price" for the invasion, the aggression wouldn't stop with one country.

India’s default position of abstaining from all votes in UN on Ukraine is likely to be tested with back-to-back resolutions likely to come up for voting in the UN General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council in the next few days. Significantly for India, the voting will take place after the loss of an Indian life in the Kharkiv shelling.

While it’s unlikely to see any dramatic change in India’s voting behaviour, the government will weigh its options carefully when it comes to a likely resolution in UNSC for humanitarian assistance and access. The government may be tempted to vote in favour, given that it is already despatching relief supplies to Ukraine, but India’s vote will depend on the language used in the resolution.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday discussed the crisis in Ukraine with French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda and European Council President Charles Michel, and reiterated India’s call for an end to hostilities and a return to dialogue.

Modi spoke to the three leaders after the death of an Indian student in Russian shelling in Kharkiv city in eastern Ukraine. The development spurred Indian authorities to speed up the troubled evacuation of thousands of Indians still in Ukraine, including some 4,000 in conflict zones in the eastern part of the country.

He emphasised India’s consistent appeal for “cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy” during his conversation with all three leaders, according to official statements.