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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar firmly rejects European criticism of New Delhi’s energy strategy, highlighting Washington’s past encouragement to purchase crude to ensure market stability.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday firmly pushed back against European criticism of India’s Russia policy, highlighting the irony of Western nations questioning New Delhi’s energy choices while their own weapons have been used against India for years. Speaking at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, the minister defended the nation’s energy strategy as a pragmatic response to market dynamics, revealing that the United States had actually encouraged India to purchase Russian oil in 2022 to help stabilize global markets following the imposition of sanctions on Moscow.
Defending India's energy choices, Jaishankar said New Delhi's purchases were driven by economic considerations rather than geopolitics and noted that changing market dynamics after the Ukraine war left Russian crude among the most accessible options. The minister also disclosed that Washington had itself asked India to continue buying Russian oil to prevent disruptions in global energy markets. His remarks came during a discussion on "Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition," where he responded to a suggestion that India had been overly sympathetic to Moscow and dependent on its crude since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.
When addressing the specific criticism from European countries, Jaishankar pointed to India's longstanding security concerns over European arms exports. He argued that the moral high ground regarding energy imports cannot be claimed by nations whose military hardware has historically threatened Indian security. "No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for Europe weapons vis-a-vis India," Jaishankar stated, emphasizing the double standards applied by Western leaders.
When asked to elaborate on this discrepancy, the minister reiterated that Europeans sell weapons which are used to attack India, not just recently but for many years. He asserted that Indians have never done anything to endanger Europe, calling it a "reasonable point" to highlight this inconsistency. This diplomatic rebuke serves to clarify that New Delhi’s foreign policy decisions are not born out of ideological alignment with Moscow, but rather from a calculated assessment of national security and economic necessity.
Explaining the rationale behind the energy purchases further, Jaishankar added that the decision was heavily influenced by the availability of crude in the global market at that time. He noted that much of the oil available was Russian because Europeans were essentially buying oil from the Middle East, which had been India's traditional supplier. "So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction," he explained, underscoring that the purchase was a result of market realities rather than political favoritism.
Jaishankar also questioned what he described as inconsistencies in Western approaches towards sanctions, trade, and energy security. He argued against applying selective standards to complex geopolitical issues, suggesting that the West fails to acknowledge its own role in shaping the energy landscape through its procurement patterns. His remarks reflect a broader trend in India's diplomatic engagement, where New Delhi consistently asserts that its actions are guided by national interest, energy security, and economic considerations.
The current standoff highlights the delicate balance India must maintain between its historical ties with Russia and its growing strategic partnerships with Western nations. New Delhi has consistently maintained that its foreign policy and energy decisions are guided by national interest, energy security and economic considerations. As global energy markets remain volatile, the precedent set by US encouragement for India’s purchases suggests that major powers may prioritize market stability over strict adherence to sanctions regimes in the future. This could lead to a more fragmented global energy trade, where emerging economies continue to source from sanctioned providers to ensure domestic stability, potentially straining relations with Western allies who seek unified geopolitical fronts.
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