External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday (11 April) asserted that India had made its position clear on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying that New Delhi is against the conflict and supports urgent cessation of violence.

“Why not condemn Russia’s invasion? Wouldn’t this best reflect India’s foreign policy goals and international standing, and what is the leverage that the Indian government has to persuade Vladimir Putin that the carnage that we are seeing every day simply must stop, and that it is not helping the Ukrainian people and that it’s not helping the Russian people, ” asked Al Jazeera US correspondent Rosiland Jordan?

"First of all, thank you for the advice and suggestions in your question. I prefer to do it my way and articulate it my way. As Secretary Blinken has pointed out, we have made a number of statements that outline our position, in the UN, in our Parliament, and in various other forums. And briefly, what those positions state is that we are against the conflict, we are for dialogue and diplomacy. We are for urgent cessation of violence and we are prepared to contribute in whatever way to these objectives," EAM Jaishankar said in reply to the question by Al Jazeera journalist during a joint press conference with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

In response to another question by Jordan on India's energy imports from Russia, Jaishankar said, "If you are looking at energy purchases from Russia, I would suggest that your attention should be focused on Europe. We do buy some energy which is necessary for our energy security, but I suspect looking at the figures, probably, our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon,".

According to a PTI report, Jaishankar was addressing a joint news conference with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with their American counterparts Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. This happened after the conclusion of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue on April 11, 2022. 

"And briefly, what those positions state is that we are against the conflict. We are for dialogue and diplomacy. We are for urgent cessation of violence, and we are prepared to contribute in whatever way to these objectives," the report quoted Jaishankar as saying. 

The White House had also come to India's defence on the issue of oil purchase. It noted that India’s total purchase is less than one to two percent, while that of the United States is 10 percent.

"Did the President get a commitment from Prime Minister Modi not to accelerate or increase imports of Russian energy?", White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked during her daily news conference.

"I'll let Prime Minister Modi and the Indians speak to that. Again, it's 1 to 2 percent at this point in time. They import 10 percent from the United States. It is not a violation of any sanctions or anything along those lines. It was a constructive, direct conversation. But I will let them speak for themselves," Jen Psaki said. 

President Joe Biden, during the virtual summit earlier in the day, conveyed that the United States is here to help India to diversify its means of importing oil.

"The imports from the United States are already significant -- or much bigger than the imports that they get from Russia. And we, of course -- the President conveyed very clearly that it is not in their interest to increase that. But beyond that, I would let the Indian leaders speak for themselves," Psaki said.

She told reporters that India is not violating any sanctions by importing oil. "It's a decision we made from the United States, but we also recognize different countries have their own calculations," Psaki said. She also praised Indian efforts in Ukraine.

"What India has done to date is they have condemned the killings of civilians in Bucha. They have supported, they've supported calls for an independent investigation. They've provided over 90 tons of humanitarian relief material to Ukraine and its neighbors including medicine and other essential relief. Earlier in the conflict, they also used its resources to evacuate almost 150 foreign nationals from 18 different countries," the report quoted Psaki as saying.

Now, there is an expanding India-US energy relationship that did not exist some years ago, Jaishankar told reporters. The United States is the second-largest Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) supplier to India and the fourth or fifth-largest crude oil supplier. "A big partner in the renewables side," Jaishankar said.

References:

swarajyamag.com