Refuting the Western criticism of India’s purchase of Russian oil despite its ongoing conflict in Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “This part of the world” has to understand that every part of the world has its interests.
Criticising Europe’s “selective approach,” Jaishankar asked why Europe has not cut its businesses with Russia if it’s a matter of principles. In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in Italy, Jaishankar highlighted Europe’s “unreasonable expectations” from other parts of the world. At the same time, its disengagement with Russia has been very “selective.”
“This part of the world has to understand that every part of the world has its interests. The priorities of Europe will naturally differ from those of countries in Asia, Africa, or Latin America. If everything is a matter of such a deep principle, then Europe itself should have cut off all its business with Russia, but it doesn’t do that. It’s been very selective and paced its disengagement very, very carefully. So, this region (Europe) will worry about its people. Others should not worry about what the impact will be on them. It is not reasonable,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar asked why India should “pay higher prices just to make you (Europe) happy.” “And please understand one thing. Europe was importing energy from Russia. Europe then started diverting to other producers, which put pressure on the market. So what are we supposed to do? Pay higher prices to make you happy? He further said that life is about respecting other people’s interests and not having everything your way,” he further said.
Being asked about India’s position on resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar further reiterated that New Delhi advocates ending the war through diplomacy and dialogue. “We think there should be diplomacy to find a way to end the conflict. And that’s what we are trying to do,” he said.
Jaishankar highlighted India’s efforts to resolve the conflict and pointed out that a solution doesn’t lie on the battlefield. He also emphasised that no one can get to know what the two sides want unless Moscow and Kyiv don’t sit at the negotiation table. “So you have to talk to Moscow, and you have to talk to Kyiv. And that’s what we are trying to do. Look, it’s now nearly three years. You’re not going to get a solution from the battlefield, right? We have to negotiate. At some stage, people will come to the table. The sooner they do it, the better because the rest of the world is affected. It’s not just that Europe is taking the brunt of this conflict. Everybody else’s life is also impacted by what is happening. So, I understand there is a big feeling across many parts of the world. More effort needs to be done to get the participants back to the negotiation,” he said.
“We will know what Russia or Ukraine wants only when they get down to the negotiation. Today, two major conflicts are taking place simultaneously. This is putting the entire international system under great stress. And we cannot be just spectators and say, well, that’s how it is. It may or may not work. We will not know until we try. But we do believe that in both these conflicts, in Ukraine and the Middle East, countries need to take initiatives and make efforts, however difficult it looks, to try and find some common ground, something better than what we have today,” the Foreign Minister added.
When asked about the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jaishankar pointed out that India is not a signatory to the ICC. In a sharp dig, he said, When you’re not members of a body, that already tells you what your views are about that body.”
