” alt=”news image”/>
India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar hit out at concerns being raised over India buying Russian oil, saying that “it’s like a campaign on this issue”.
Jaishankar was speaking at the first India-UK Strategic Futures Forum (IUSFF), which also saw the attendance of UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
Truss is on a two-day visit to India for a “wider diplomatic push” following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The event was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs’ think tank, Indian Council for World Affairs.
Without mentioning names, EAM Jaishankar says “It’s like a campaign on this issue..” over India Importing Oil from Russia. Points to Europe importing energy from Russia pic.twitter.com/2S6y23xRfH
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 31, 2022
During the event, the minister pointed out that European countries remained the biggest buyers of oil and gas from Russia despite the sanctions.
He added that India’s own energy purchases were mostly from the Middle East and from the US.
“I was reading a report that in the month of March Europe has bought 15 per cent more oil and gas from Russia than it did the month before. If you look at the major buyers of oil and gas from Russia, you will find most of them in Europe,” Jaishankar said.
“We get the bulk of our energy supplies from the Middle East, 7.5 – 8 per cent from the US and it was less than a per cent from Russia earlier,” he added.
Defending India’s position, Jaishankar said, “When oil prices go up it is natural for countries to go out into the market and look for what are the good deals for their people. I am pretty sure if we wait two or three months, and actually look at who are the big buyers of Russian gas and oil, I suspect the list will not be very different from what it used to be, and I suspect we won’t be on the top 10 on that list.”
When Truss was asked about UK’s reaction on India purchasing discounted Russian oil, she said, “India is a sovereign nation; I am not going to tell India what to do… I feel very strongly on support for Ukraine, but that is not the same as going around and telling other countries what to do.”
India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar hit out at concerns being raised over India buying Russian oil, saying that “it’s like a campaign on this issue”. Jaishankar was speaking at the first India-UK Strategic Futures Forum (IUSFF), which also saw the attendance of UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Truss is on a two-day visit to India for a “wider diplomatic push” following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The event was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs’ think tank, Indian Council for World Affairs. Without mentioning names, EAM Jaishankar says “It’s like a campaign on this issue..” over India Importing Oil from Russia. Points to Europe importing energy from Russia pic.twitter.com/2S6y23xRfH — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 31, 2022 × During the event, the minister pointed out that European countries remained the biggest buyers of oil and gas from Russia despite the sanctions. He added that India’s own energy purchases were mostly from the Middle East and from the US. “I was reading a report that in the month of March Europe has bought 15 per cent more oil and gas from Russia than it did the month before. If you look at the major buyers of oil and gas from Russia, you will find most of them in Europe,” Jaishankar said. “We get the bulk of our energy supplies from the Middle East, 7.5 – 8 per cent from the US and it was less than a per cent from Russia earlier,” he added. Defending India’s position, Jaishankar said, “When oil prices go up it is natural for countries to go out into the market and look for what are the good deals for their people. I am pretty sure if we wait two or three months, and actually look at who are the big buyers of Russian gas and oil, I suspect the list will not be very different from what it used to be, and I suspect we won’t be on the top 10 on that list.” When Truss was asked about UK’s reaction on India purchasing discounted Russian oil, she said, “India is a sovereign nation; I am not going to tell India what to do… I feel very strongly on support for Ukraine, but that is not the same as going around and telling other countries what to do.”