Russian Foreign Minister praises Dr S Jaishankar

Moscow (Russia) – External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has received praise from his Russian counterpart for asking the West “To mind their own business” when it questioned India’s procurement of Russian oil after the Ukraine war began. In a video shared by Russian news agency Sputnik, the country’s foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov is seen addressing the World Youth Forum in Sochi. “My friend, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, was once at the UN, giving a speech. He was asked why they started buying so much oil from Russia. He advised them to mind their own business and reminded them at the same time how much oil the West had started buying and continued to buy oil from the Russian Federation. This is national dignity,” Lavrov said.

Russia supported India during the Cold War !

Lavrov further stated that Russia and India have always been good friends. During the Cold War, when Western countries stopped supplying India with military equipment, Moscow supported India. Russia, along with India, has initiated joint production of the advanced missile system ‘Brahmos’.

India purchases 40% of its crude oil from Russia

In 2020, India bought only 2% of its required crude oil from Russia. However, before the Russia-Ukraine war, this proportion increased to 16% by the end of 2021. By the year 2022, it has further risen to 35%. Currently, India is procuring 40% of its total required crude oil from Russia alone.