India Foreign Minister S.K. Jaishankar defended India’s energy relations with Russia on Saturday and said that the purchase of oil by New Delhi is in national and global interest. The Foreign Minister said, India will continue to take its decision independently, even if the business has remained the subject of ‘obstacle’ in American discussions.
Emphasizing on energy security, Jaishankar said, “It is fun that a pro-business people working in US administration are accusing others of doing business. If you have a problem in buying oil or sophisticated products from India, do not buy. Somebody does not force you to buy. Does not buy Europe, America buys, if you don’t like, do not buy.” He said this, responding to India’s criticism to buy Russian crude oil.
He also said that when oil prices increased in 2022, there was concern globally. “There was a deep nervousness internationally due to rising oil prices in 2022. It was said that if India wants to buy Russian oil, let them buy, because it will stabilize the prices.” Jaishankar said that the purpose of the purchase of India is also to calm the market. “We are buying oil so that oil prices remain stable. Yes, it is in our national interest, but it is also in the global interest.”
On relations with Russia, he said that after the Alaska meeting, the annual bilateral dialogue was discussed in his visit to Russia. He said, we want to increase business with Russia. Along with this, it was clarified that the situation on India’s Ukraine crisis is clear. India’s attitude is clear and we want the Russia-Ukraine issue to be resolved quickly.
Jaishankar said that there have been both cooperation and differences in India’s relations with major countries like America and China, but the direction has been positive overall. “There are issues right now, they are quite open, but it is not that the issues have never been there before. Other parts of the relationship are strong.”
Referring to differences in the US foreign policy approach, he said that President Donald Trump’s style was different from the tradition and reminded that Washington had introduced the idea of ”G2″ framework with China during the Obama period.
On the ongoing trade talks with the US, Jaishankar said that the talks are going on but India’s situation is strong. “Our conversation has red lines and we should be clear about them. We are committed to protect the interests of farmers and small businesses.”
On Indo-US relations, he said that the dialogue channels are active despite differences. “We are two big countries, we have to talk and see how it moves forward.”
