'I am smart enough to...': S Jaishankar reasserts India's stand on Russian oil with Antony Blinken by his side

‘I am smart enough to…’: S Jaishankar reasserts India’s stand on Russian oil with Antony Blinken by his side

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India’s commitment to purchasing Russian oil despite the sanctions on Moscow due to the military conflict with Ukraine. Jaishankar, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, emphasised that having multiple options should not be seen as a problem. He explained that in today’s complex world, relationships cannot be unidimensional.

Speaking alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock, Jaishankar responded to concerns about India’s growing ties with the United States while continuing to trade with Russia.

Jaishankar said, “Is that a problem, why should that be a problem? If I am smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me. Is that a problem for others? I don’t think so, suddenly in this case. We try to explain what are the different pulls and pressures that countries have. It’s very hard to have that unidimensional relationship.”

During the conference, Jaishankar elaborated on India’s balancing act between the US and Russia, highlighting the different histories and relationships each country has. “Different countries and different relationships have different histories. If I want to look at the US and Germany, it is rooted. There is an alliance, nature to it. There is a certain history on which that relationship is grounded. In our case it’s very different, so I don’t want you to even inadvertently give the impression that we are purely unsentimentally transactional. We are not, we get along with people, we believe in things, we share things, and we agree on some things but there are time when you are located in different places have different levels of development, and different experiences all of that gets into that,” Jaishankar added.

“Life is complicated, life is differentiated. and I think it’s very important today. I agree with Antony which is, good partners provide choices, smart partners take some of the choices. But sometimes, there will be choices, you say I’ll pass on that,” he stated further.

Jaishankar also highlighted India’s strong relations with Western countries, emphasising that India is non-West but has strong ties with the West. He mentioned the contribution of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in expanding the G7 to the G20.

Regarding India’s purchase of Russian oil, Jaishankar responded to criticism by stating that India’s total purchase for one month is less than what Europe buys in one afternoon. He also reiterated India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating that India is against the conflict, supports dialogue and diplomacy, and is prepared to contribute to the objective of ending violence.

According to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights, Russia accounted for over 35 percent of India’s total crude imports in 2023, approximately 1.7 million barrels per day. Last year, Russia’s oil exports reached the highest level since April 2020, with export revenues rising to USD 12.7 billion, according to TASS, a Russian news agency.

The 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) is currently taking place from February 16-18 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. This year’s conference is chaired by the German Ambassador to the US, Christoph Heusgen.

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