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Known for his no-nonsense articulation of India's position on geopolitical issues, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had a sharp response when an Australian journalist asked him if New Delhi recognises Canberra's "angst" over its ties with Russia.
Dr Jaishankar was speaking to Sky News Australia's Sharri Markson in an interview during his recent visit. When Ms Markson asked him if India recognises the "angst" its relationship with Russia causes Australia, he replied, "I don't think we have given cause for any angst. In this day and age, countries don't have exclusive relationships."
The minister then drew a Pakistan parallel. "If I were to use that logic, I would say so many countries have relationship with Pak. Look at the angst it should cause me," he said.
Dr Jaishankar then proceeded to explain how India's close ties with Russia is in the interest of the international community. Referring to Delhi's decision to buy Russian oil despite the West and other counties sanctioning Moscow after the Ukraine war broke out, the minister said,
"If we had not made the moves we had, the energy markets would have taken a completely different turn and precipitated a global energy crisis, it would have caused inflation across the world."
He said India's ties with Russia enables it to play a role in bringing the conflict to the talks table. "The fact that we have a good relationship with Russia allows us to be a country in between which has the ability to talk to both Russia and Ukraine and try to find some intersection in those conversations. i think the world, including Australia, needs such a country that will help bring this conflict back to the conference table," he said, adding, "Conflicts rarely end on battlefield, mostly they end in negotiations."
Australia has backed Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and supplied Kyiv with weapons. When the conflict began in 2022, then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had said Russia should be seen as a "pariah state" and no country should have anything to do with them.
As the West imposed sanctions on Russia, India decided to continue buying oil from Moscow. This raised eyebrows and Dr Jaishankar countered the West's questions regarding India's decision. The former diplomat had then sharply said that Europe needs to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems. He had said India has a right to prioritise its energy needs. Later, speaking at News Agency World Summit, Dr Jaishankar had underlined that Moscow never done anything to impact India's interests negatively.
On the Ukraine conflict, the Narendra Modi government has refused to take sides, with the Prime Minister stressing that this is not an era of war. The Prime Minister recently travelled to both Ukraine and Russia. India, he has said, is not neutral, but on the side of peace.