External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing a press briefing in Moscow, pushed back against criticism of India’s energy purchases from Russia, stressing that New Delhi is neither the largest buyer of Russian oil nor LNG. Highlighting that China and the European Union import far more, Jaishankar said India’s oil strategy is aimed at stabilising global markets, a position even the US has encouraged. Pointing out that India’s imports of American crude have also risen, he remarked that he was “perplexed” by the logic of arguments questioning India’s energy policy.

“We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian oil, that is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG, that is the European Union. We are not the country with the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022. Incidentally, we also buy oil from the US, and those imports have increased. So honestly, we are very perplexed at the logic of the argument being made,” said Jaishankar. 

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Longstanding India-Russia Relationship

During the joint briefing, Jaishankar described India and Russia as having “the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War.” He reaffirmed India’s intent to expand bilateral trade in a balanced way, highlighting the need to address regulatory barriers and boost Indian exports to Russia in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.

The External Affairs Minister noted that while India’s imports from Russia, especially oil, have surged, efforts are being made to correct the trade imbalance. “Enhancing India’s exports to Russia in these sectors will certainly help,” he said.

Jaishankar also brought up the matter of Indian nationals serving in the Russian army. While several have been released, he urged Moscow to resolve the pending cases of missing persons swiftly. “We hope that the Russian side will expeditiously resolve this,” he said.

The press conference came a day after Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin dismissed UD pressure on India over its crude purchases as “unjustified” and “unilateral.” Babushkin said that if Indian goods face hurdles in the US market, Russia is ready to welcome them. “Sanctions are hitting those who are imposing them. It is a challenging situation for India, but we have trust in our ties,” he remarked.

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Lavrov, echoing this sentiment, said Russia remains India’s largest oil supplier and described the relationship as one of mutual accommodation. “India’s demands are growing year by year. This is a perfect case of complementarity of our economies, and we are certain cooperation will continue despite external pressure,” he added.