Key facts
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar defended India's purchase of Russian oil based on cost and availability.
- He stated that European countries' arms sales are used to attack India.
- Jaishankar made these remarks at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland.
- He rejected criticism that India held a position of 'moral equivalence' on the Ukraine war.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar defended India's decision to purchase Russian oil following the Ukraine conflict, attributing the move to cost and availability considerations. Speaking at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, Jaishankar responded to criticism that India had adopted a stance of 'moral equivalence' regarding the war and continued to buy Russian oil.
Jaishankar explained that market conditions at the time led India to Russian crude, as Middle Eastern oil supplies were being diverted to Europe. "I buy oil based on cost and availability," he stated. "At that point of time, much of the oil available on the market was Russian because Europeans were essentially buying up Middle East oil, which was a traditional supply. So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction."
Drawing a parallel between India's oil purchases and Europe's defense exports, Jaishankar highlighted a perceived contradiction in European criticism. He asserted that no European country had been attacked with Indian weapons, but suggested that European weapons were being used to attack India, a situation he implied India had not replicated against European nations.