Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov praised his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar for asking the West "to mind their own business" when it questioned India's decision of continuing to procure oil from Russia after the Ukraine war began.
External Affairs S Jaishankar has firmly defended India's decision to buy Russian oil despite Western sanctions since the Ukraine war began in February 2021, maintaining that it shouldn't be a concern for others.
Now, a video shared by Russian news agency Sputnik shows Russia's foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov praising S Jaishankar for asking the west to "mind their own business".
"My friend, Foreign Minister Subramanyam 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 says in Russian while addressing the World Youth Forum in Sochi.
WATCH
While most countries of the West imposed sanctions on Moscow and stopped buying crude Russian oil after the Ukraine war broke out, India refused to join in, with Jaishankar reiterating New Delhi's position at international forums that the decision has been taken in the interest of Indians.
Jaishankar emphasised that Indians cannot afford high energy prices and that the Modi government is only trying to get the best deal possible for its citizens.
Last month, during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Jaishankar was asked about India's balancing act between its growing ties with the United States and continuing trade with Russia.
In his response, Jaishankar said: “Is that a problem, why should that be a problem? If I am smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me.”
Jaishankar's response left US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock smiling.
