Lavrov Praises EAM Jaishankar's Stand On Russian Oil Imports - Here's What He Said | Watch

At the World Youth Forum in Russia's Sochi, remarks were made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

He recalled how a strong response was given by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to European leaders who questioned why New Delhi continued to align itself with Moscow amid the war in Ukraine.

Photo Credit: PTI

Lavrov Praises EAM Jaishankar - Here's what he said

Describing Jaishankar as his "friend", Lavrov mentioned that Jaishankar questioned how much oil Europe had begun purchasing and stressed that India buying crude oil from Russia was a matter of "national dignity".

Lavrov's statement came amid criticism in Europe against India for its procurement of Russian crude oil, which is seen as detrimental to the effectiveness of the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a notable shift in its import patterns, India saw a significant increase in its oil purchases from Russia following the geopolitical tensions arising from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Despite global sanctions, India capitalized on discounted Russian oil prices, with imports growing from zero in January 2022 to 1.27 million barrels a day by January 2023.

Throughout 2023, India's oil imports from Russia more than doubled to 1.79 million barrels a day, making Russia the dominant supplier, even as imports from traditional suppliers like Iraq saw a contraction.

In an interview with German economic daily Handelsblatt last month, it was stated by Jaishankar that India expanded its economic ties with Russia despite Moscow's military aggression in Ukraine. He also mentioned that Russia never violated India's interests and the bilateral ties remained "stable and friendly".

During a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, also held last month, Jaishankar doubled down on the continued purchase of oil from Russia and stated that it shouldn't be a problem for others if India had "multiple options" and was "smart enough" to go with what works for it.

Jaishankar's retort elicited smiles from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock, who were also part of the panel.