‘No Indian weapon ever used to attack Europe…’: Jaishankar’s sharp rebuttal on Russia ties
Jaishankar was asked about India’s stance and if India was “too sympathetic to Russia” and “too willing to buy oil from Russia”.
- Jun 12, 2026,
- Updated Jun 12, 2026 8:06 AM IST
Explaining the “moral ambiguity” of purchasing Russian oil, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has never endangered any European country, and unlike Europe no Indian weapon has ever been used to attack an European country.
Jaishankar’s remarks came during a discussion on "Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition" at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, where he was asked about India’s stance and if India was “too sympathetic to Russia” and “too willing to buy oil from Russia”. He was joined by Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and UAE Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh in the discussion too.
“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 up the Middle East oil, which was our traditional supplier. So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction,” he said.
Jaishankar continued: “Since you spoke about moral ambiguity, I want to say this…No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for European weapons vis-à-vis India. So keep that in mind.”
When asked to elaborate on his statement, Jaishankar said, “Europeans sell weapons which are used to attack India, not now but for many, many years. We Indians have never done anything to endanger Europe. I think that’s a reasonable point.”
Despite this, Jaishankar spoke of the developments that were opening new avenues for defence and strategic cooperation between India and Europe. He noted India had concluded a free trade agreement with the European Union, and finalised a Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework. He said these developments reflected the "growing depth" of the relationship.
Explaining the “moral ambiguity” of purchasing Russian oil, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has never endangered any European country, and unlike Europe no Indian weapon has ever been used to attack an European country.
Jaishankar’s remarks came during a discussion on "Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition" at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, where he was asked about India’s stance and if India was “too sympathetic to Russia” and “too willing to buy oil from Russia”. He was joined by Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and UAE Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh in the discussion too.
“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 up the Middle East oil, which was our traditional supplier. So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction,” he said.
Jaishankar continued: “Since you spoke about moral ambiguity, I want to say this…No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for European weapons vis-à-vis India. So keep that in mind.”
When asked to elaborate on his statement, Jaishankar said, “Europeans sell weapons which are used to attack India, not now but for many, many years. We Indians have never done anything to endanger Europe. I think that’s a reasonable point.”
Despite this, Jaishankar spoke of the developments that were opening new avenues for defence and strategic cooperation between India and Europe. He noted India had concluded a free trade agreement with the European Union, and finalised a Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework. He said these developments reflected the "growing depth" of the relationship.