External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Defends India: Not Biggest Buyer Of Russian Oil

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has once again set the record straight on India’s energy trade with Russia. Speaking on global criticism, Jaishankar said India is not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil—that’s China. Nor is India the largest buyer of LNG, which is the European Union. He pointed out that several other countries’ trade with Russia surged after 2022, not India’s. The minister underlined that the US itself has encouraged India to stabilise global energy markets, even by buying Russian oil, while India’s oil imports from the US have also increased. Jaishankar expressed surprise at the “logic” of media arguments blaming India.