The European Union’s oil import from Russia was six times that of India since the Ukraine war began, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said here on Monday, calling out the doublespeak in western countries on oil purchases after his meeting with visiting German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock.
Responding to a question from the German media on India’s oil purchases from Russia, Jaishankar provided data along with the source in an attempt to school the international media given the number of times he had been asked this question.
“Between February 24 and November 17, the EU imported more fossil fuel from Russia than the next 10 countries combined. The oil import in the EU is six times what India imported; gas is infinite times because we don’t import it whereas the EU has imported gas worth 50 billion euros. Even coal imports from Russia by the EU is 50 per cent more than what India has imported,” Jaishankar said with the German minister seated beside him.
Maintaining that all countries have a right to make their own choices, Jaishankar referred to Europe prioritising its energy needs while asking India to do something else. He highlighted that Europe’s decision to buy a lot more oil from West Asia — which had been a traditional supplier to India — had put pressure on the prices.
Russian President Vladimir Putin. File picture
On whether Russia had sent India a list of 500 products it wanted to purchase, Jaishankar said it had nothing to do with the situation that had arisen in the wake of the Ukraine war. He said India had also shared a list with Moscow for market access. These discussions, he said, have been going on for years and he himself had been involved in the negotiations for eight years.
Baerbock, who had upset India a couple of months back by calling for UN intervention in Kashmir with Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto by her side, steered clear of the subject in her public comments that began with a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
She began her media statement with a reference to her visit to Gandhi Smriti — the place where Gandhi was assassinated. “When I followed Gandhi’s last steps, I became acutely aware that India’s path towards independence truly was not an easy one. Today, almost 75 years after the murder of Gandhi, there is a close bond between our democracies, a bond that unites us on the basis of shared values — human rights, freedom, democracy, trust in an order based on the law.”
The two ministers also signed an agreement on a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership in time for the adoption of the German Skilled Immigration Act early next year to facilitate the immigration of qualified workers from abroad.
