"Europe sells weapons, which are used to attack India. Not just now but for many years," says Dr Jaishankar

 External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar strongly defended India's Russian oil purchases at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland. 

When requested by the interlocutor to expand upon his statement, Jaishankar reiterated India's long-standing security concerns regarding Western arms supplies to the region. "Europe sells weapons, which are used to attack India. Not just now but for many years," he explained.

He said the West had no moral authority to lecture India as weapons from European countries had been used against it while Delhi never posed any threat to Europe.

Speaking at a discussion on 'Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition' at the Kultaranta Talks during his visit to Finland, Jaishankar said India's decision to buy Russian crude after the Ukraine war was driven by affordability and availability. He added that the US had itself encouraged India in 2022 to continue purchases to help stabilise global markets.

Jaishankar's remarks came as a journalist questioned India's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, accusing the nation of being "too sympathetic to Russia" and "too willing to buy oil from Russia".  

Dr Jaishankar, a former career diplomat, responded by stating that India had no choice but to turn to Russian oil after European consumers started to buy oil en masse from India's traditional suppliers in the Middle East after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.  

Expanding on his criticism of Europe, Jaishankar said many of the weapons supplied by European nations over the decades had ended up in the hands of countries that used them against India. He contrasted this with India's record, saying New Delhi had never contributed to threats against European security and that no Indian-made weapon had been used against a European country.

"No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for Europe weapons vis-a-vis India," he remarked, subtly reminding the audience of India's history and relations.  

 "I'll make two observations. I buy oil based on cost and availability. So at that point of time, much of the oil available in the market was Russian because Europeans were essentially buying oil from the Middle East, which was our traditional supplier. So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction," Jaishankar stated.

He also added that the US had itself encouraged India to step up imports of Russian energy in 2022 in order to stabilise the global energy market, which had been shaken by sanctions that isolated the West from Russian oil reserves and increase pressure on Middle Eastern suppliers.

"At that time, the US directly asked India to buy Russian oil to stabilise the oil market. We buy oil based on cost and availability," Jaishankar stated during his address in Finland.  

EUROPEAN WEAPONS USED TO ATTACK INDIA, SAYS EAM JAISHANKAR

Aside from defending New Delhi's reliance on Russian energy imports, Jaishankar also argued that European nations lacked the moral authority to lecture New Delhi on the issue. He pointed out that weapons manufactured in European factories had, over the years, ended up in the hands of countries that later used them against India.   "Europe sells weapons which are used to attack India. Not just now but for many years," the seasoned diplomat told those in attendance at the discussion in Finland, highlighting New Delhi's longstanding concerns regarding Western arms sales.

Jaishankar also highlighted New Delhi's record, arguing that no Indian-made weapon had ever been used against a European country and that India had never posed a significant security threat to the continent.

"No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for Europe weapons vis-a-vis India," Jaishankar stated, adding that, "We Indians have never done anything to endanger Europe. I think that's a reasonable point."