Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has criticised the West for aligning India's oil purchases with the Ukrainian crisis, arguing New Delhi is "entitled to weigh its own interests" rather than taking sides in the ongoing crisis in Europe.
If Europe sanctions Russia in a way to avert a "traumatic" impact on its economy, the minister says, a similar "freedom" or "choice" should exist for other regions as well.
"We don't send people out there saying go buy Russian oil. We send people and say go, buy oil. Now you buy the best oil you can in the market. I don't think I would attach political messaging to that," Jaishankar said at the Bratislava forum on Friday.
When asked whether India buying Russian oil is not funding the ongoing conflict, Jaishankar said, "Look, I don't want to sound argumentative. But then buying Russian gas is not funding the war? Is it only Indian money and Russian oil coming to India funding the war and not Russia's gas coming to Europe not funding? Let's be a little even-handed."
The response to Western criticism comes amid India's increasing hunger for "discounted" Russian oil, limiting crucial oil imports bills when crude oil prices jumped around $120 per barrel.
As per data compiled by Kpler, India's imports of Russian oil skyrocketed to 800,000 barrels a day, compared with 30,000 barrels a day before the special military operation began.
The Indian foreign minister, currently on a five-day visit to Central Europe, underlined that Russian oil purchases have gone up nine times from a very low base. He also questioned the West's approach of sanctioning Venezuela and Iran, which squeezed India's options to purchase oil from other markets at a fair deal.
'Wheat Exports Ban Prevents Diversion to High Income Country'
The Indian minister also provided reasons for banning wheat exports when global foodgrain prices keep rising.
"We will not give speculators open access to the Indian wheat. Our decision also prevents diversion to high-income countries with a greater possibility to buy because of what we saw happen with the vaccines; we don't want to see this happen for wheat. Rich people were getting vaccinated and poor left with god's mercy," Jaishankar said, adding that India has exported wheat to 23 countries this year.
On 13 May, the Indian government banned wheat exports by private entities to control inflation on the domestic front and ensure that there is enough supply for countries in need, including Delhi's neighbours.
'World Can't Be Eurocentric'
The Indian minister also advised Europeans to adjust their mindset to the new reality of new players coming to the global stage.
"Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems," the foreign minister said, adding, "Today linkages [are] being made between China and India and what's happening in Ukraine. Come on, guys, China and India happened way before Ukraine. I do not see this as a clever argument."
The border dispute between India and China escalated into serious clashes in 2020, in which 20 Indian and 4 Chinese soldiers were killed. Thousands of troops have continued guarding forward border posts since 2020, even as diplomatic negotiations are underway to de-escalate the situation.
'India Not Sitting on Fence'
Jaishankar also discarded the western argument suggesting India should join the axis against China, with which it has border disputes.
The minister underscored that New Delhi does not accept the 'construct' that it has to side with a power axis, and if it does not side with one camp, it will automatically be considered as from the other camp.
"I am not sitting on the fence just because I disagree with you. It means I am sitting on my ground… A lot of our problems in China have nothing to do with Ukraine, Russia. They are predated," the minister said.